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Fragments

by Chris Ronald

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    CD in high quality digipak with 16-page lyric booklet. Cover Art by Daniel Vallieres, design by Wendy Hainstock.

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1.
Summer's coming to a close I'm throwing out the withered rose It might be the last one of the year Summer's end is drawing near But you and I will carry on Another solstice come and gone Fortunes ebb and flow with the sea But it's the same you and me Autumn colours come on Everything goes green again before too long Autumn leaves drifting down Spinning rugs of red and brown Summer games forgotten in the grass Autumn soon will come to pass And if our promise ever fades It's just a layer of dust away A journey through the album of our lives For our promise to revive Winter branches come on Everything goes green again Winter deals an icy blow Seasons hidden under snow Favourites ever faithful to return Winter's grip no longer firm And if we wander from the path It's not to squander what we have I watch another summer winding down And know we'll always come around Springtime showers come on Everything goes green again before too long
2.
I remember the day You opened up your mended heart to me You had so much to say A picture of positivity And given what you said I guess you really know what life is worth Coming back from the dead To cherish every moment on this earth Now nothing’s gonna keep you down You've risen from the cold, hard ground Chorus: So get back in the game Show everybody how you beat the odds And how you overcame You must have done something to please the gods Now nothing’s gonna keep you down You've risen from the cold hard ground So get back in the game So grab your gear The team that saved you needs you now And there's nothing to fear And only you can show them how And I've heard tell What doesn't kill can only make you stronger So find where you fell And get back out there where you belong Now nothing’s gonna keep you down You've risen from the cold hard ground Chorus:
3.
I keep a picture on my window sill For whenever there's a void to fill The English seaside in the seventies Our bodies drying in the ocean breeze The waves are calling I can hear them still I keep a picture on my window sill I found a record that we used to play "Hey there Mr. Blue Sky" on a Christmas Day So natural, it was in our blood Music was the medicine of our childhood And I feel it just as strong today I found a record that we used to play Chorus: The sons of summer Are smiling down on me again Taking me somewhere That only they can know Only they can go I hold a place in my halcyon heart To keep us close now that we're apart So when I need to keep the blues at bay Those sunny days are just a beat away And they bring me back to the start I hold a place in my halcyon heart Chorus:
4.
The house across the way has turned to rubble The garage is a goner and the garden's too much trouble When you're working like a dog to make ends meet There's no tears for the old timers disappearing from our streets If you're lucky you could rent a mortgage helper That or join the masses driving in from the delta Either way you'll be in debt above your head And you'll wish you'd bought a cottage in The Maritimes instead 'Cause on the surface it can look like perfect bliss But if you're living in this city you'll do very well to miss All the talk about the bubble going bang And the very heavy volume on The Knight, Oak, and Arthur Liang And the school around the block is being shuttered It's too quiet in the corridors, the mums and dads gutted There'll be no more skipping ropes and bottle rockets In the schoolyard with a playground that was paid for from their pockets Quite the model for a public education No more pennies for the poor kid with ideas above her station It's a Band Aid on a cut requiring stitches And some medicine for the boys to kill the insects in their britches A cacophony of axes chopping strings Is the next thing on the program then it's scissors clipping wings So spare a thought for the pencil and eraser In the hand of the child who built the Port Mann and Alex Fraser Now our neighbours to the east are on their uppers They were dancing in the sands and now they're singing for their suppers And nobody has seen the farmer's daughter For her daddy's fields are finished or they'll soon be under water As the queen collects her eggs in a basket It's her subjects who'll be carrying those chicks in a casket 'Cause the cookie is not crumbling in her favour And a smorgasbord of fossil fuels has kinda lost its flavour For the ones who like to stop and smell the roses And listen to the leaders who can see beyond their noses As you're looking at the ships in the shallows Through a window made in China from the Lions Gate or Second Narrows But the people are now putting heads together As they try to turn this tanker sailing into stormy weather And the eagle and the whale are at the helm And a cargo of compassion is returning to the realm As the needle of the compass shifts direction The simple act of sharing is the latest reconnection In a nanny state that's finally relaxing Soon the day to day could be a little bit less taxing Johnny Walker's gonna marry Mary Jane She'll be waiting on the corner if you want to numb the brain To the stories that you're hearing on the news Or another dreary winter and a case of Rain City blues
5.
Continents 03:59
Years ago, distance could never divide The widest gaps were small Nowadays, seems we're standing on different sides And it makes no sense at all Chorus: 'Cause these continents are drifting apart They were pulling away from the start And we can't navigate by this chart anymore Thinking about all the land that locks into place When two worlds collide Staring at an unknown and uncertain space From a rift so deep and wide Chorus: 'Cause these continents are drifting apart They were pulling away from the start And we can't navigate by this chart anymore A new map will need to be drawn With the frontiers that have been formed And the ocean that can't be ignored anymore Bridge: There's no turning this tide around And nobody to blame There's no saving these bridges from tumbling down Things will never be the same Chorus:
6.
Chorus: Rolling, keep rolling Rolling like a freedom train Come on friend, lend a hand We can't do this on our own Side by side on this crazy ride Beats going it alone We'll make the climb, we've still got time If we don't drag our heals Let's throw all caution to the wind And our weight against the wheels Chorus: Come on friend, just round the bend We might be nearer than it seems Let's push this thing against the odds Inch closer to our dreams We'll make our way, take each day And every milestone as they come Trade our time and our energy For our moment in the sun Chorus: Come on friend, until the end It's no use turning back Hope wouldn't bring us all this way Just to stop us in our tracks We'll share the road, bear the load And find when all else fails The strength to carry on and keep rolling Straight along the rails Chorus:
7.
Dad Glad 02:13
8.
Mosquito 03:19
Mosquito sticks proboscis in A perfect patch of untapped skin Without permission from the host Now let the thieving feast begin Injections painless, touch so light Procedure done she takes to flight And leaves the hapless victim feeling Used and cheated every bite The needle doesn't cause the itch She pours a potion every stitch To let the fluid freely flow Hydraulic fracture wicked witch At last the scratching will recede But something worse remains beneath Just pray the water’s good to drink And hope the air is fit to breathe It's just a quick in and out She is not concerned about The seeds of sickness being sewn Her babies will not go without Mosquito, harbinger of hell Your industry is hard to sell Self-absorbed and bloody-minded Sucking like an oil well
9.
When it was handed down I thought: How could this be For he was such a big man Yet it doesn't fit on me So I put it on a neck chain Where it hung next to my heart Thinking until death do us part Until death do us part It served as a reminder Told the story of his days How the fingers and the factory Almost wore the thing away And I thought it gave me comfort As it lay against my skin My very own memorial to him My own memorial to him Chorus: It touched the hand of his bride So delicate in his palm It probably touched my shoulder When he held me in his arms It was there for every story Every song that we'd sing So tell me if you find Grandpa's wedding ring Oh but I don't need a keepsake When I can hold a pen And write about the jeweller Who made it whole again And tell you all about Texas And how I paid a cost But I found so much more than I lost So much more than I lost Chorus:
10.
You could say I'm starting late Slow to bloom, after noon, not the quickest out the gate Or think I've lost my mind Not to tire or kill the fire that is burning deep inside You might expect me to behave Quit the fight, hide my light and take it to the grave And tow a steady line Not to chance, dance the dance, and hope it works out fine Oh how easy it could be To keep working for the man Chorus: But this is my retirement plan Making music while I can Not slipping into silent ways I'm gonna sing until my dying days And I hope you'll sing along with me In the chorus keep me company And leave the stage a happy old man This is my retirement plan Yeah there's more to life than cash Make a list, take a risk, what’s the purpose of a stash I could be half dead In the sack, in the black wishing I was in the red You know it happens all the time Money saved, house paid down to the final dime Just to watch it all go Paying bills, fixing ills till there’s nothing left to show Oh how easy it could be To keep working for the man Chorus:
11.
There are cattle on the hills Drifting slowly home to sleep And they know the pathway home Though the snow is fresh and deep And the light is fading fast To a palette of sweet dreams Where a midnight moon awaits For to wrap your soul in peace I will meet you there if you bide a while For that sunset never fades While I’m dreaming of your smile Golden willows bow their heads Deep in silence by the lake And the whole world wants to rest And my heart just wants to break Still this road goes on and on While there's light enough to see It's a dark and lonely path God knows where it's leading me I will meet you there if you bide a while For that sunset never fades While I’m dreaming of your smile I will find my way for a few more miles Till I lay me down to rest Once more dreaming of your smile
12.
Fragments 02:06
Fragments come together from so many different places Random jigsaw puzzle pieces flip to show their faces A fragment is a turning point, a different frame of mind The ending of an episode or unexpected find A fragment is a friend escaping from the jaws of death A miracle reminding us to savour every breath A fragment is the constancy of a brother's bond A multitude of memories to make a magic wand A fragment is a traffic update on the drive to work The disappearing line between collected and berserk A fragment is a photograph recalling sunny days A couple riding tandem slowly going separate ways A fragment is a three-year-old face down in the sand A father grieving for his son while reaching out a hand A fragment is the fruitfulness of trying something new A gem that we uncover when we carry something through A fragment is a parasite ravaging its host A conduit for coffin nails heading for the coast A fragment is a grandfather regaling with a story A brother's face aglow with wonder basking in his glory A fragment is a ball and chain detaching from a dream A vision of an engine building up a head of steam A fragment is an open mind inclined to go along A stranger in a hotel room weeping through a song Fragments come together from so many different places Random jigsaw puzzle pieces flip to show their faces

credits

released May 26, 2017

Album downloads come with a free digital booklet.

Chris Ronald (vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica, ukulele), John Ellis (acoustic/electric/bass/pedal steel guitar, dobro, banjo, mandolin), Rob Becker (upright/electric bass), Pat Steward (drums), Mike Sanyshyn (fiddle), Angela Harris, Gord Maxwell, Rob Fillo, Mark James Fortin, Jody Okabe, Dana-Marie Battaglia (guest vocals)

Produced & engineered by John MacArthur Ellis
Mixed by Sheldon Zaharko at Zed Productions
Mastered by Gavin Lurssen at Lurssen Mastering
Recorded at Creativ Music Centre, North Vancouver
Cover art by Daniel Vallieres, design by Wendy Hainstock

All tracks written by Chris Ronald, apart from “Okanagan Sunset” written by Bruce Madole.

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Chris Ronald Vancouver, British Columbia

Originally from England and now living in Canada, Ronald’s music has been described as “Canadian folk with British roots.” In recent years, his “keenly luxuriant voice and immaculate songcraft” have won him many accolades including a nomination for “Songwriter of the Year” at the Canadian Folk Music Awards. His latest release, Fragments, was released on esteemed Canadian label Borealis Records. ... more

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