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Tales To Be Told

by The Mechanisms

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1.
2.
Iphis 02:23
Iphis was strong as any boy you'd meet Though she'd been born in female form In the City this was fine, but at last, one day Deep in love she did fall Iphis loved Ianthe and was loved in return Iphis turned away, forlorn "I cannot marry you, a girl as I am - I cannot marry you in this form". But she had no money, she had no the gold To buy the body she desired So, in despair, she went to Isis' throne To beg for all she required And Isis said: "I'm moved by your tale of doomed romance. I know how that feels. I'll do what you ask - my people will find you a suitable body, and you'll find the money for the cerebral transfer is already in your account. But, my dear Iphis, you must remember - all things come at a price. One day, I will call on you, Don't let me down." At once she agreed with the harsh demands At once he was reborn They were married the self same day The next by Isis' summons they were torn Iphis and Ianthe, together at last But torn apart straight away "I am with you now, a boy as I am But when will I see you again?"
3.
Prometheus 04:30
Welcome back, punks and rebels, you're listening to Radio Free Ilium, broadcasting whenever we can on whatever frequencies we can hack. Let's start with a song for the haters out there who, uh, polish Olympian Spears. The government may say he's a crook, but we know who the real crooks are. You all know this one: it's Prometheus by TLS! Five years into the Ilium war the city built a firewall That cut us from their urban sprawl and kept the signal out. The barricades they’d tried and failed, their green recruits our men had nailed But without the wireless beat of life we were finally cut off. But then one man broke through Found a way to aid our righteous coup Prometheus, the hero who let us hold off the horde, Prometheus, who proved the keyboard’s mightier than the sword Prometheus, he gave his life to keep our spirits strong. When we pass into the Acheron We’ll be singing out his song. Our homes were burned and blighted shells their military had overwhelmed, The movements of their soldiers now were veiled beyond our sight. Without a word he gave us all the data that could bring their fall, He didn’t ask for accolades and didn’t name a price. He gave us hope, on that night The lonely chance that kept us in the fight Prometheus, the hero who let us hold off the horde, Prometheus, who proved the keyboard’s mightier than the sword Prometheus, he gave his life to keep our spirits strong. When pass into the Acheron We’ll be singing out his song. After what he did, Olympus couldn’t turn a blind eye. They’d lost so many soldiers he surely had to die, They snatched him from his lair before he said his last goodbye, As they cracked down on his followers and set his world alight. But the legacy he left us means the gods we’ll always defy, And even as our homeland dies we scream his final battle cry! Prometheus, the hero who let us hold off the horde, Prometheus, who proved the keyboard’s mightier than the sword Prometheus, he gave his life to keep our spirits strong. When pass into the Acheron… we’ll be singing out his song.
4.
Redeath 03:15
Some things unknown, a million places unseen Across the vast wastes of space a thousand tales untold This crew immortal can tell these tales untold At the edge of the worlds we saw a planet fall and Spread its wings, throw itself into the flaming sun A dwindling spark that blinked in the flaming sun A planet died, or so we thought at first But from this star there burst forth bright sheets of feather flames They wreathed a creature flying on feather flames A burst of purple red, burning out the sky The golden orb shifts, streams of gas begin to take new form We stared in wonder at this strange living form Reborn, it soars away, stolen sun at its heart Another star to obtain, bright blazing in the dark Behind it dying worlds fade far in the dark Who'll live to see again this drifter through the void? What life will rise and reside upon its sleeping spine? What tales will live and die 'til once more it flies?
5.
Pilchard Finally I've got you trapped in here with me Your ship is seized, now you're on your knees You're overpowered, within the hour You'll be inside my laboratory Life, life, eternity! This is the gift you'll grant to me True immortality All of your secrets soon I'll see Soon there'll be nothing money cannot buy They'll swap their wealth for eternal life The strife of man since the world began Is to conquer death, now I've found my plan Life, life, eternity! This is the gift you'll grant to me True immortality All of your secrets soon I'll see Brian Hear what I say, for I'm an honest man I'll show you where our crew began The workshop hides in our ship's insides And I'll take you there, for it's wrong to lie Life, life, eternity! Granted by this laboratory Pilchard I'll go alone to see You'll never escape that easily
6.
THE RECRUITER'S SONG Grab yourself a laser, lad, and serve your queen With a smile, smile, smile Light ‘em with your lucifer and burn ‘em clean Smile boys, that’s the style Come on a grand adventure Against a foe most vile So, grab yourself a laser, lad, and serve your queen With a smile smile smile *Jovial Whistling* “Come on boys, The Moon’s not that far away and we’ll be home by Christmas. Let’s give the kaiser a damn good thrashing. Lenny won’t know what hit him! So join the starborne infantry and serve your country.” GASSED LAST NIGHT Gassed last night, and gassed the night before Gonna be gassed tonight if we’re never gassed no more When you’re gassed, you’re sick as you can be ‘Cause novichok and mustard gas are much too much for me They’re choking us, they’re choking us, One respirator and it broke on us. Thank your lucky stars that the pumps still work ‘Cause coughing up your lungs can be a chore Cooked last night, and cooked the night before Gonna be cooked tonight if we’re never cooked no more When you’re cooked, you’re hot as you can be ‘Cause the Kaiser wants to microwave the British infantry They’re boiling us, they’re boiling us, One lead sheet between the four of us. Thank your lucky stars that you taste so good ‘Cause we wouldn’t want your corpse to go to waste SOLDIER'S SONG When little generals play at war They don’t care what they’re fighting for Playground battlefields are rife With soldier toys bereft of life Marching ever through the black Orders fly, retreat, attack Whoe’er commands a toy obeys Out in the stars and far away As children grow, the toys they build From wood to steel with hate are filled Colonels, generals, marshals plan Their lines in every patch of sand Marching ever through the black Orders fly, retreat, attack Whoe’er commands a toy obeys Out in the stars and far away Whoever’s uniform you wear No loyalties to hold or share No burning hate, no bitter fear No heart to break, so shed no tear Marching ever through the black Orders fly, retreat, attack Whoe’er commands a toy obeys Out in the stars and far away TIM GOES CRAZY We’ll murder all the lunar men with fury heaven-sent And carpet Lenny’s tunnels with the rounds that we have spent They’ve tried to break our firm resolve but haven’t made a dent And their blood will run like wine! Take no prisoners, give no quarter, Show them all the colour of their entrails on the floor The Kaiser’s men are cattle to the slaughter And their blood will run like wine! We’ll suck the ragged eyeballs from the sockets of their skulls Their existence is a mad disease, there needs to be a cull Upon their rancid soldier-flesh our bayonets will dull And their blood will run like wine! Take no prisoners, give no quarter, Show them all the colour of their entrails on the floor The Kaiser’s men are cattle to the slaughter And their blood will run like wine! All together now - Take no prisoners, give no quarter, Show them all the colour of their entrails on the floor The Kaiser’s men are cattle to the slaughter And their blood will run like wine! TEATIME WITH THE KAISER So Gunpowder Tim cut a bloody red path Through cannon and infantry, dealing his wrath Battalions were mustered, and charged with his destruction But all of them fell to his maddened corruption But all things must end, and Tim’s luck ran dry As a Lenny lined his rifle up and let the lead fly And when he awoke, he was chilled to the bone Kneeling, unarmed, at the Moon Kaiser’s throne And the Kaiser just smiled, with his crown all askew Saying, “Well now my friend, it’s a pleasure to meet you I hear you’ve made a habit of hacking up my boys So I’ll return the favour, with what means I can employ An extended execution, by royalty appointed And I warn you, the last one left me very disappointed” Then the Kaiser opened up a box and showed young Tim my head Fresh-severed, but I winked at him – I guess I wasn’t dead! Seeing there was hope for him, Tim looked around the room - The Toy Soldier, in uniform, with a royal guardsman’s plume Accidentally, it had joined the Kaiser’s personal guard But it still followed any order, if you gave it nice and hard Across the room, the great gun stood, aimed right at London Town Tim had his plan and he prepared to bring the despot down And with the lunar cannon loaded and the fuse prepared to light Tim looked the Soldier in the eye and gave the order: “Fight!” Chaos came to the Kaiser’s men, the violence quick and mad As the wooden man obeyed the mission briefing that it had I spun my severed head and bit the Kaiser on the nose He screamed in shock and dropped me, so I went after his toes Confusion reigned, Tim took his leave and ran towards the gun And spun the dial so right around the cannon barrel swung He didn’t know the firing codes, it wouldn’t stop him long For the brutal hymn of gunpowder remained his favourite song So with a barrel from the armory he set the fuse alight And fled into the lifepod where the Kaiser spent the night The pod was sealed hard against the force of twenty suns But Tim couldn’t get the visor closed before the fuse was done So when the lunar cannon fired and blew the moon out of the sky The fearsome brightness of the blast burned out our hero’s eyes And with the force of every weary soldier’s tunnel-bomb The explosion ripped through the full moon’s heart and like that - The moon was gone.
7.
In Camlann town where I was born There was a beast of iron Three hundred years remained uncaught But not for want of trying – Deep in the night it clanked and roared It tore our town asunder Of metal sheets, of bricks and stone All building blocks did plunder – A price, a price, upon its head A living wage forever For any knight to strike it dead Upon this grand endeavour – Go ready me my wheels of speed My bandoliers and rifle That I may ride to seek my prize For all that’s just and rightful – For two score years I tracked it down I would not be outwitted Though many times my spirit broke My quest could not be quitted – It was the merry month of May I found its wondrous dwelling A bower of brick and burnished steel Formed from our own town’s felling – The beast of iron, in times gone by Created all things useful It could not cease when the stores ran dry Its beauty yet was truthful – And though I tried with all my might I’d not the heart to kill it For few can take a dying world And still with beauty fill it.

about

A collection of those smaller tales that the Mechanisms have been known to tell. Some of these are rarities you'll never hear unless you buy the Mechs a round. Some are works in progress that will sometime find their way elsewhere. Some are secrets... Enjoy.

If you do buy this album, we expect you to feel that you own every single track on it - including those not yet uploaded. You should be able to download them for free (if you can't automatically, click "Buy" again and enter nothing). If you have any troubles, get in touch.

Update (June 2020) - we've removed The Ballad of Lil Lemon from this album. For a more detailed explanation of our reasons for doing so, see our update here: themechanisms.com/lyrics/the-ballad-o-lil-lemon/

credits

released November 28, 2013

recorded and mixed by the Mechanisms on whatever came to hand

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The Mechanisms Oxford, UK

The Mechanisms: a band of immortal space pirates roaming the universe in the starship Aurora. Some say they’re from a steampunk future, others claim they’re from a cyberpunk past, a few even whisper that they may be from a dieselpunk alternate now. They are all correct. ... more

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