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Love's The Only Engine Of Survival

by Bat Country

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KNOCKIN' ON MY COFFIN Lyrics by Bill Cerise-Bullock, Melissa Cerise-Bullock, Jill Zirkle, and Michael Sellars VERSE 1 I was a pious man, thought I'd go to heaven when I reached my end Oh! The jokes on me! I'm just laying here moldering! If I had known my reward, I'd have been a sinner just to spite the Lord I'd-a fucked and smoked and dranked everything that moved 'Cause I sure ain't movin' now so what the hell's the use? CHORUS But who's that KNOCKIN' ON MY COFFIN!?!? Boy you ain't gon' find no heaven here you best keep on a-walkin' Who's that KNOCKIN' ON MY COFFIN!?!?!? No need to knock on wood You don't know how good you've got it VERSE 2 Our sins were of the flesh, come inside and we'll test all your seams for stress Mending socks for each jack screw, scraping out a living under Madam Lou But now the flesh falls away, God don't appreciate joy for pay If we'd traded our lust for purity, we wouldn't be rotting for eternity CHORUS But who's that KNOCKIN' ON MY COFFIN!?!? Girl don't be in such a hurry to get down among the rotten Who's that KNOCKIN' ON MY COFFIN!?!?!? No need to knock on wood You don't know how good you've got it BRIDGE Where did everybody go? How'd it ever get so cold? Someone let some light into this cell So it all ends up the same, chasing death or dragged away You'll decay in heaven or in hell VERSE 3 Before my time in the grave, seemed like I was losing something every day A little bit of cash, a little bit of time, a great big chunk of my fragile mind Now I finally rest in peace, flowers bloom above me and the worms will feast You can keep your heaven, you can keep your hell, 'Cause you don't keep nothing in a dirt hotel CHORUS But who's that KNOCKIN' ON MY COFFIN!?!? I can hear the invitation, but I'd rather be forgotten Who's that KNOCKIN' ON MY COFFIN!?!?!? No need to knock on wood You don't know how good you've got it Who's that KNOCKIN' ON MY COFFIN!?!? Though it's quite a lovely evening, I cannot come out a-walkin' Who's that KNOCKIN' ON MY COFFIN!?!?!? No need to knock on wood OUTRO Na na na na na, na na na na na na na! Who's that KNOCKIN' ON MY COFFIN!?!?!? Boy you ain't gon' find no heaven here you best keep on a-walkin' Who's that KNOCKIN' ON MY COFFIN!?!? Girl don't be in such a hurry to get down among the rotten Who's that KNOCKIN' ON MY COFFIN!?!? I can hear the invitation, but I'd rather be forgotten Who's that KNOCKIN' ON MY COFFIN!?!? I should warn you my appearance now is frankly fucking shockin' [Who's that KNOCKIN' ON MY COFFIN!?!?!? Boy you ain't gon' find no heaven here you best keep on a-walkin' (repeat x4)] No need to knock on wood You don't know how good you got it
3.
ALL OVER AGAIN Lyrics by Melissa Cerise-Bullock VERSE 1 Meet me at the edge of the lazy sloping hill We’re fashionably late and we’re always dressed to kill Take my hand, the clock has cycled ‘round, it’s time my friend Close your eyes and hold your breath, the gun will tell you when It’s time to drop to our despair all over again. CHORUS ‘Round and round we go, it starts to get too much ‘Til you’re feeling like you’re pushed to the limit Keeping still until it freezes, light the fire and fall to pieces ‘Til it starts all over again (x2) VERSE 2 We know so well the carpet of our intimate soiree Is the loam of countless naked apes who never got away From the reoccurring tragedy that is Love’s comedy It’s tempting, but I’d rather not say it was meant to be Please say I’m not alone, I hope you’ll agree. (CHORUS) VERSE 3 A drink for you and one for me, no more can we afford To prance around the infirm crux of that which we once adored Locked eye to eye, it’s fight or flight, our tango overspun But if we stand together we can draw down the sun (x4)
4.
THE BLACK FREIGHTER Lyrics by Bill Cerise-Bullock VERSE 1 Tied to the mast, marked with the blade All of the lives that you thought you could save Will sing from the depths that it all ends the same nonetheless Dig up the corpses of lovers and friends Lash them together to chase your revenge And strike at the sea with the bones of the one you loved best CHORUS Bourne upon a tide of blood, we struggle towards the shore We leave the sea to crawl upon all fours So tie the noose around your neck, it fits you like a glove There's a million crimes aboard this ship And the worst were done for love VERSE 2 So draw the blade that can never be sheathed Once your beloved, now just the bereaved But you prop up the bodies and brush off your sleeves without guilt Spend your whole life on perfecting the prize But late in the night you can still hear the cries Of the corpses amongst the foundations of all that you've built CHORUS Bourne upon a tide of blood, we struggle towards the shore We leave the sea to crawl upon all fours So tie the noose around your neck, it fits you like a glove There's a million crimes aboard this ship And the worst were done for love BRIDGE You have been touched by the horror, and now There is no depth of the damned that could sate your appetite Out past the breakers they're waiting, you hear them wail in the night; "CLIMB ABOARD THE BLACK FREIGHTER!!!" (x3) CLIMB ABOARD!!! OUTRO CHORUS Born upon a sea of blood, we never reach the shore Our best intentions crawl upon all fours So catch the noose that's tossed to you and join the crew above There's a million crimes aboard this ship, But the worst were done for love Done for love! All for love! All for love! ALL ABOARD THE BLACK FREIGHTER!!! ALL ABOARD THE BLACK FREIGHTER!!! CLIMB ABOARD THE BLACK FREIGHTER!!! CLIMB ABOARD!!!
5.
Ramblin' Man 03:58
6.
God Had Better Watch His Back Lyrics by Bill Cerise-Bullock VERSE 1 You're slow to learn and fast asleep You're hanging high and elbow deep In blood that's turning black Well, God had better watch his back VERSE 2 You set the stage and set the type You turn the page and burn it like Some half-wit, half-rate hack Now God had better watch his back BRIDGE You should be afraid to dream, It's there we'll come for you We'll drag you down and strap you in And there'll be nothing you can do And everything You've cut away Will be repaid! (x5) VERSE 3 You need an end, we shall provide Your sins await just past the white We know it's all abstract But God had better watch his back
7.
Well that's some very fine stitching around your lips I haven't seen work like that for a while I would venture a guess that you've had it since you were a child It gets so hard to keep a civil tongue Now they're coming around with the knives You'll be guaranteed someone to watch your mouth And make sure that you're dressed to the nines CHORUS Strictly speaking, there's no saying how deeply you'll be shocked No retreating, we've got ways to make you talk Strictly speaking, there's no telling how far we'll run amok When you're weeping, we've got ways to shut you up VERSE 2 So your loosening lips sunk your censorship Now you've got some explaining to do Well we asked for disaster, you gave us a fine overview If you can't think of anything nice to say, You're in very good company But you'll just have to learn how bite your lip ‘Til it falls in the dirt at your feet. [CHORUS] BRIDGE And all those ugly thoughts just thrash inside your head So if you're stuttering, try singing it instead Because we all know paper burns and every language that you've learned is dead And they can hang on every word and still not hear a single thing that you have said VERSE 3 Now that's a very sharp needle you're brandishing But I'll try to maintain my resolve And take pains to keep slicing these words so precisely Until they mean nothing at all [CHORUS]
8.
VERSE 1 The curtain won’t be drawing back, the klieg lights wait to pop and crack The followspot will hold you locked in place Showgoers are all aglow, you’ve been undraped, it’s time to go! Look alive! And bare your pretty face! Bump and strut across the stage, a clockwork dove in a pewter cage It’s all part of the show, you understand Step and thrust and point your toes, into the chest your modesty goes Tête à tête with your patron’s broad waistband VERSE 2 Downstage right is the mama’s boy, downstage left, the mayor’s toy Front and center, a desperately lonely Jack Pose engaged, eyes trained aloft, never let their gaze go soft You’re the seasonal medicinal aphrodisiac! Sweat and stardust on our brows, beholden to the cosmic boughs We’re singin’ in the streets and it’s okay Whiskey, smoke and PBR, someday I’m gonna be a star Unapologetic passion lights the way VERSE 3 The act is over, it’s been a pleasure, accolades sustain you beyond measure Don’t know what you’d do if it weren’t this Fan your dollar store lashes, incandesce that smile Ensure the good people found the time worthwhile Cast your cloud of glitter, go out with a kiss.
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Blue Faerie 05:04
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The Future 06:16
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LYRICS Come on take a slide down the spiral Gonna get yourself right ‘round the bend Of the plague that prevails, you’ll find history impaled On that sharp little hook at the end Soon there’s even babies being born with it Eyes fish-white and blind to the sun With sharp, twisted teeth made to spread the disease Come and see where your monsters come from Dredge it up, dredge it up, from the bottom! Dredge it up, dredge it up, from the bottom! Howard’s daddy died screaming Ate alive by invisible beasts And mother’s quick to attest that what’s under his flesh Is just waiting to bloom with disease Now Howard looks out on still waters And feels fathoms beginning to stir We’re the heirs of what’s under the surface Just a plague to be wiped from the earth Dredge it up, dredge it up, from the bottom! Dredge it up, dredge it up, from the bottom! Dredge it up from your veins, dredge it up from your core Dredge it up from the drains in the slaughterhouse floor Dredge it up, dredge it up, from the bottom! Now we stand on the dry land of logic We've dissected and pulled back the skin But what’s at the heart bares twisted fangs and declares “All Hail Horror, and bring on the end!" Dredge it up, dredge it up, from the bottom! Dredge it up, dredge it up, from the bottom! Dredge it up from your veins, dredge it up from your core Dredge it up from the drains in the slaughterhouse floor Drag it out of the depths of your terror and shame Make it into a monster that you can contain And if it helps you believe you can hold off the dark With a shot to the head or a stake through the heart Dredge it up! Dredge it up! From the bottom!

about

Founded in 2006 by vocalist Melissa Cerise-Bullock and guitarist Mikey Sellars, Bat Country grew to become Seattle's one and only licensed purveyors of undiluted, 100-proof Doom-Americana, a unique blend of raw, yet hook-laden noir-country and neo-cabaret heavily influenced by the creeping existential dread and pretty, pretty melodies of Tom Waits, Neko Case, Nick Cave, and Leonard Cohen.
 
After losing their bass player, “Meshugunah Joe” Albanese, in the May 2012 shootings at Seattle’s Café Racer, the band made the decision to cease performing live, and directed their energies towards the completion of an album based around tracks they had recorded with Joe before his death.
 
On June 15, 2013, they released “Love’s The Only Engine Of Survival” - a eulogy to the memory of their friend, and to their time together as a band, celebrating its release in one final live performance at Columbia City Theater in Seattle.

credits

released June 15, 2013

CREDITS

BAT COUNTRY IS
Melissa Cerise-Bullock – Vocals, Accordion
Bill Cerise-Bullock – Vocals, Guitar
Michael Sellars – Guitar, Vocals
Jill Zirkle – Vocals, Piano, Percussion
Joseph Vito Albanese – Upright Bass
Adam Garnich – Percussion, Vocals
Count Constantin – Violin
Dan Kaplan – Saxophone, Clarinet
Jack Chandelier – Drums

Backing Vocals by Aaron Shay, Janine Pierce, Emma Berghammer, Devin Carlen, Jeff McNulty, Molly Brashear, Ross Brashear, Ryan Devlin, Kim West, Colin Butler, Erin Butler, Felix Butler, and Bat Country

Recorded between April 2011 and December 2012 at Chophouse Rehearsal Space, The Vera Project, Killroom Studios and Joe’s Basement

Recorded and Engineered by Jeff McNulty, Jack Chandelier, and Greg Williamson

Accordion Tracks recorded by Scott Johnson, April 2009

Produced by Jeff McNulty, Bill Cerise-Bullock and Bat Country
Mastered by Dalton Brand at WaveBurner Recording

Art and Photo Credits
Cover Painting by Angie Lazzar (www.angielazzar.com)
Frame Artwork and Title Lettering by Sarah McFarland
Booklet Cover Artwork by Jon Larson
Rear album cover and memorial photo: Kook Teflon (kookteflon.blogspot.com)
CD tray photography: Daniel McManus (www.daniel-mcmanus.com)
Tray photo manipulation: Ron Reed
Additional photography by JessyLou D'Aprile, Danny Benenovitch, Jessica Laird, Mike Stanclift, and John Wilmot
Album Layout by Jack Chandelier and Bill Cerise-Bullock

Follow online at facebook.com/batcountryusa

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Bat Country Seattle, Washington

Seattle's one and only licensed purveyors of genuine, undiluted, 100-proof Doom-Americana, Bat Country creates a unique, raw, yet hook-laden brand of noir heavily influenced by Tom Waits, Neko Case and Leonard Cohen. They are currently waiting outside your window with rusty shovels to bury you in the creeping existential dread of their pretty melodies. This is all ye know and all ye need know. ... more

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