We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

the rank & file demos

by Casey Neill

/
  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $7 USD  or more

     

1.
THIS YEAR WAS A BLUR black wall of rain, get in and get down the winter king & his stormy crown November came, November went the chain of days, & stir of events & what it meant I'm not sure & even though it was a good one this year was a blur pirate the hours from devil time a cup of kindness for old lang syne ocean to ocean, sky to sky turn and face backwards, wave good bye action is the cure sorrow trailing out behind us this year was a blur we put our heads in the sand a little deeper instead of waking up we joined the sleepers all these years of promise squanders down these long and empty street I wander clear the fog from my mind, the mud from my boots dust off my hound's tooth suit the past is another country my dear but the gang hasn't gone, the gang's all here & together we'll endure kick it over to the next one This year was a blur kick it over to the next one kick it over to the next one
2.
Idyll 03:15
IDYLL follow the overgrown railroad track through the weeds and grass and shotgun shacks down by the signal crossing and the burned out cadillacs summer it is nearly gone it never seems to last too long til the cold northern wind comes to take the season back & the holy rollers roll through town again on a mission of redemption to wash away our sins i am sanctified only by the darkness of your eyes & swimming in the quarry cool water on your skin building castles in the air cheshire smile mad as the march hare firewater cuts the dust & we make quite a pair here in the county seat, our sleepy municipality it's churches depots fire stations bars & country fairs & I love it here though I know someday we're leaving as long as I am with you girl I don't care where we go we were always too free for believing in anything but fireflies & rolling in the meadow my heart is turning ever, turning ever, turning ever to you my heart is turning ever to you
3.
Guttered 04:12
GUTTERED smoking lucky strikes in a snow covered graveyard you watch your breath spill into the air the night gives no shelter & the wind it cuts through you and you look up at the sky & swear at the winter stars and their indifference to you dizzy from the drink and that shaky homegrown you pull your wool hat over your eyes and lean against a headstone ain't it like that when you're guttered & there is no where to go ain't it like that when you're guttered you walk the graveyard in the snow all you've ever loved & lost is there to read on your skin just like the hobo's the bare knuckle boxers, sailors and the union men it's songs we sang in fury and glory the music that defines where we stand at basement shows and dark dingy bars, all the feedback & broken up bands once again you're guttered & the chilly winds do blow once again you're guttered you walk the graveyard in the snow you said you'd be heading south, the country's getting scary & you need to get clear this city's too cold, it's people too blind, too much comfort & too much fear me I still cling to the things that once fueled us, In on The Kill Taker, Cometbus & Unrest am I wild or tame? hardcore or lame? a wandering fool or a heart at rest? a wandering fool or a heart at rest? oh no I'm just guttered & I still carry the flame oh no I'm just guttered, & can't remember my own name once again I'm guttered, just trying to do my best am I wild or tame? hardcore or lame? a wandering fool or a heart at rest? a wandering fool
4.
WHEN I CAME TO YOU When I came to you, I came with dust and deserted alleys I came with a trainride across the North in the snow I came with well worn clothes that didn't fit my frame so well When I came to you I had a lifetime of farewells When I came to you I came with rivers running cold and blue red ribbons, red wine, and red blood running true I came with dark reveries, nightclub lights and western motel tears I was tired of being lonely all these years When you came to me you came with women's names I could not hear ashes and excess and a thousand yard stare so like a child and then so steadfast and so strong when you came to me you didn'tknow where you belonged When you came to me you brought the streets of London in the rain Boston in the winter, Charlotte in the Spring Came with a storm to sting my eyes, made me feel alive and free I walked proud into the daylight when you came to me I walked proud into the daylight when you came to me So blow out the candles and rock me to sleep and whisper as the world drifts away...
5.
WHEN THE WORLD WAS YOUNG when the world was young the rain was never-ending the mud caked our boots and the river rose so high when the world was young we never stopped to look around us or savor the beauty it was just scenery rolling by out the window of another three hours on I-5 hypnotized by windshield wipers, logging trucks, and grey skies there's a sadness in the hills here denuded bare and broken these streets hum songs unheard and whisper words unspoken when the world was young if you saw it you believed it the tubes glowed warm and the wires crackled with sound when the world was young we laughed as we exploded i still have a ringing in my ears, a bitter taste upon my tongue what ever happened to those who swore they'd never stray? there's an undercurrent of dirt and stain no shine can wash away it's goodbye to the rank and file are those your taillights leaving town? i know it'd be a lie if I said I'd see you 'round our soundtrack to the endtimes has all become white noise static on the airwaves, the echoes of forgotten joys for the true believers there are a few who still remain hunkering down in our kingdom of rain i still have a ringing in my ears, i still have a ringing in my ears, i still have a ringing in my ears, a bitter taste upon my tongue
6.
Ouroboros 04:48
OUROBOROS o the streets of this town lead to the next town all away around the world through all the oceans in endless motion we're diving for pearls and the water keeps moving high up in the air til it falls on our heads and runs through your hair & the places we are now the places we've been are one in the same now we end where we begin and you my companion my long lost friend again i am with you we begin where we end every direction leads us back again to the doors of the houses we used to live in the bed is still warm where we once lay the pillow still holds the shape of your face & the places we are now the places we've been are one in the same now we end where we begin and you my companion my long lost friend again i am with you we begin where we end i cry sometimes, still i smile goodbye this time, just for awhile from the cooling of day to the chill of the evening i lie awake & wonder what it is you are dreaming we walk in this world our breathing an engine i want to be like the fox, make tracks in the wrong direction & practice resurrection & the places we are now the places we've been are one in the same now we end where we begin and you my companion my long lost friend again i am with you we begin where we end where we end
7.
8.
The Ramble 04:25
THE RAMBLE skyscrapers & aeroplanes quarries and lakes school days hue and cry sepia tone photographs halcyon and caterwaul these meadows far behind i remember nothing i remember nothing i have lost my mind so many times i can't count the lives i have left behind like so many waves on the ocean wide i have no sense of time i have no sense of time central park in the Ramble i held my father's hand cousins and pigeons and the first smell of a girl the first sight of a flower a window to an infinite world what happened in between? what happened in between? i have lost my mind so many times i can't count the lives i have left behind like so many waves on the ocean wide i have no sense of time i have no sense of time

about

Eight solo acoustic demo recordings for the Casey Neill & The Norway Rats album 'Goodbye to the Rank & File'.

credits

released October 6, 2015

Performed by Casey Neill, Recorded by Ezra Holbrook

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Casey Neill & The Norway Rats Portland, Oregon

CASEY NEILL & THE NORWAY RATS are a crack gang of musicians from Portland Oregon. Their sound combines high energy diesel fueled rave-ups and haunting ballads. Neill's weather beaten narratives celebrate miscreants, and explore the hidden corners of the American landscape. ... more

contact / help

Contact Casey Neill & The Norway Rats

Streaming and
Download help

Shipping and returns

Redeem code

Report this album or account

Casey Neill & The Norway Rats recommends:

If you like the rank & file demos, you may also like: