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The Circle

from Bloom and Grow by Kyla Tilley

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    Double pocket eco-wallet including 12 page booklet with all lyrics and some lovely floral images.

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about

I read The Histories by Herodotus cover to cover one year. I got three songs out of it, two of which are on this album. I am very taken with his assertion that he wrote these stories down so that the deeds of great men would not be lost to the sands of time. The deeds he wrote of were martial in nature, but all the same sentiments apply to the arts.

We use a lot of martial terminology music. Many artists refer to their fanbase as their army. Metal heads refer to themselves as Hessians. I often refer to my guitar as my axe. This song tells the story of an ancient warrior stepping into the combat circle for a one on one battle. There are a lot of parallels with stepping onto the stage. The nerves and jitters, the little voices in the back of the mind that can cause us to make errors. The self talk we do to shut those voices up and enter the zone. The sheer magic that happens when we attain that state. The risk and the reward for stepping up. The very individualistic reasons we have for doing this, and the benefit to many others this individual desire can yield. This is a story about an ancient warrior about to partake in single combat, but it's also a glimpse at what goes through my mind before performing.

lyrics

The Circle

Waiting in this circle
Enclosed by fighting men
All eyes are upon me and the fate held in my arms
Strength Drawn from the herald's recitation of my line
Each memory of valour emboldens our resolve
Life's minutes tick on by as I watch my foe approach
I do not know him, I ignore his list of deeds

I clear my mind of everything
Focus on my body
Breathing steady hands are warm
They grip my sword hilt gently
And I don't give a thought to the doubts that turn inside
Will this be the last time
Am I prepared to die
Live or die my name will be recorded in the bard's song

Standing in this circle
We are all that ever was
Taking one another's measure comparing battles fought
No thoughts for our commanders, our cities or their plight
We've come here for glory, for blood and tales to tell
We two are not so different but it's I who will stand tall
Or perhaps I'm just some other fool bound for a cedar pyre

But I clear my mind of everything
I focus on this moment
I've been here many times before
It's I who puts my hand up
I don't give a thought to the doubts that turn inside
Will this be the last time
Am I prepared to die
Live or die my name will be recorded in the bard's song
Live or die my name will be recorded in the bard's song

Some commend my bravery
My virtue they extol
To step into the circle, shouldering the load that holds
the lives of all these soldiers
And those for whom they fight
That burden doesn't touch me
I think not of them at all

I clear my mind of everything
I focus on reacting
Dodge and parry blow for blow
In here I'm truly living
We came here to grasp at immortality
Live or die my name will be recorded in the bard's song
I will live forever when the scholars carve my name in stone

credits

from Bloom and Grow, released August 2, 2022
Kyla Tilley: Classical guitar, Vocals, Glockenspiel
Julian Squires: Drums

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Kyla Tilley Newfoundland and Labrador

Kyla Tilley plays guitar, wears high heels, and writes sometimes sad, often funny, occasionally disconcerting, story-telling songs which rarely rhyme.

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