Get all 15 Amateur Ornithologist releases available on Bandcamp and save 25%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Hiding to Nothing, Hide, Time To Talk, The Word is Love, If It Looks Like Magic, Building the Bird, Sunscreen, A Better Person, and 7 more.
1. |
Birds Fly Over Me
04:49
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Birds fly over me
Take me to the place where you are waiting patiently
Gratefully I know that you’ll see
Birds fly over me
Helps you to believe in me with no naivety
And how bizarre we know we are
From my perch
An aspect of the world below
So to my search
The player of a cameo
And then she glides beside
Descending to a dive
Birds fly over me
Take me to the place where you are waiting patiently
Gratefully I know that you’ll see
Birds fly over me
Helps you to believe in me with no naivety
And how bizarre we know we are
Migrate again
Formation change; my hollow bones
I lose a friend
I’m going where the wind will blow
And in the lift and drag
There isn’t good or bad
Birds fly over me
Take me to the place where you are waiting patiently
Gratefully I know that you’ll see
Birds fly over me
Helps you to believe in me with no naivety
And how bizarre we know we are
But when the birds have flown
You won’t be on your own
Won’t be lonely any longer
When the birds have flown
You won’t be on your own
With something you won’t squander
When the birds have flown
You won’t be on your own
Won’t be lonely any longer
When the birds have flown
You won’t be on your own
With something you won’t squander
Birds fly over me
Take me to the place where you are waiting patiently
Gratefully I know that you’ll see
Birds fly over me
Helps you to believe in me with no naivety
And how bizarre we know we are
Birds fly over me
Take me to the place where you are waiting patiently
Where I see you and you see me
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2. |
Dead Man Begged
04:09
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Nurture the seed of doubt in my mind
Cold breath of death comes from behind
Grow one direction tied to a line
Valentine asinine
And when the magpies hop across the garden
Chattering secrets to you
And when the fertile soil begins to harden
What is a nightshade to do?
(Lie in the bed)
I have sown
(And all you said)
I’ve grown, I’ve grown
(Don’t dig it up
The dead man begged)
Expose the roots and give it a push
Creeping sensation season’s up
To see a flourish there must be cuts
For the reasons discussed
Spot the starlings swooping from the sky
And with some luck they come near
Missing the cost that they expend to try
Singing the words you don’t hear
(Lie in the bed)
I have sown
(And all you said)
I’ve grown, I’ve grown
(Don’t dig it up
The dead man begged)
(Lie in the bed)
I have sown
(And all you said)
I’ve grown, I’ve grown
(Don’t dig it up
The dead man begged)
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3. |
Simple Things
05:22
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Look deep in your eyes
Inhale all your sighs
I won’t watch the clock
I’ll stay by your side
It’s the simple things
Those little things
It’s the simple things
Those little things
Don’t swallow your words
Make sure that you’re heard
The censor won’t strike
Your truth will emerge
It’s the simple things
Those little things
It’s the simple things
Those little things
I believe your heart’s on your sleeve
See it beat
See it swell
You can see
Mine as well
I believe your heart’s on your sleeve
See it beat
See it swell
You can see
Mine as well
Hold tight on my hand
And cover these lands
Lie in the grass
And we’’ll understand
It’s simple things
Those little things
It’s simple things
Those little things
I believe your heart’s on your sleeve
See it beat
See it swell
You can see
Mine as well
I believe your heart’s on your sleeve
See it beat
See it swell
You can see
Mine as well
Lichen grows over the soul
Seasons change followed by clothes
You don’t have to run
You’ve barely begun
You’ve tried it before
But not with this one
I believe your heart’s on your sleeve
See it beat
See it swell
You can see
Mine as well
I believe your heart’s on your sleeve
See it beat
See it swell
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4. |
The Bigger Picture
02:26
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Take the box
Sort the tiles
And we’ll start with the ends
Interlock
Tabs and blanks
You get it wrong, make amends
Solve the puzzle from the muddle
Follow clues however subtle
A mosaic from the mixture
You will see the bigger picture
Sections split
Share the labour
Lay it out piece by piece
Solve the puzzle from the muddle
Follow clues however subtle
A mosaic from the mixture
For you to see the bigger picture
Solve the puzzle from the muddle
Follow clues however subtle
A mosaic from the mixture
For you to see the bigger picture
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5. |
Regret Everything
01:29
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Don’t always have to win
You can’t regret everything
Don’t always have to win
You can’t regret everything
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6. |
Nightmare Fuel
04:00
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Fade to me at seventeen
My tongue was sharp but the rest of me was green
Finally confident enough
The rug was pulled and the fall was double rough
Cut six years to twenty three
A waste of time at my universities
Never considering anyone
A one-track mind on a path to get things done
I’ve been soaking up this Nightmare Fuel
All these things I do
And my secrets stalk in slow pursuit
Give me Nightmare Fuel
Montage; ten years ground to dust
I don’t believe you can simply paint the rust
Mission: change all of your traits
It might be easier if you’ve shed all of your mates
You’ve been dreaming things for me to do
Just more Nightmare Fuel
When you’re leaving; my brain plays self-review
Just more Nightmare Fuel
You’ve been feeding me this Nightmare Fuel
Give me Nightmare Fuel
Fuel
Fuel
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7. |
The Murmuration
05:20
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Falling Feathers
Dance the early evening wing
Slip the zephyr
Witness avian in sync
Whirling exchange
Sway and wave the day away
Shifting membrane
Turning tail the dusk prevails
I see the murmuration up in the sky and I say
Why do good stories end and why do feelings die?
I see the murmuration up in the sky
And why, oh, why do feelings die?
Wheeling plumage
Hypnotise from purple skies
Nightly blooming
Contract and bend in floating time
I see the murmuration up in the sky and I say
Why do good stories end and why do feelings die?
I see the murmuration up in the sky
And why, oh, why do feelings...
Talon and tail
Beak and bone
Thousands cast in unison
Stretch and drop
Swoop and hold
There's safety in numbers
But the credits roll
I see the murmuration up in the sky and I say
Why do good stories end and why do feelings die?
I see the murmuration up in the sky
And why, oh, why do feelings...
When I hear the beginners’ call
Instead I see the curtain fall
When I hear that my ship’s come in
I see the shoreline flooding
When the order comes down, “engage”
I sit and write the final page
When they told me that I’d go far
I turned and sang The Last Hurrah
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8. |
When the Laughter Ends
06:12
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Lean on the one you trust
I’ll lend an ear
Bestow your hopes and fears
Don’t let me overhear
Lean on the one you trust
I might understand
Show me a problem that can’t be solved
We’ll change the plans
I can’t say I’ll always get it right
Called to arms like a shining knight
Even when the laughter ends
Your trust will pay you dividends
Learn all my lessons the hardest way
Reassure you its my choice to stay
Even when the laughter ends
There’s not a soul who could contend
Lean on the one you trust
I’ll bare the weight
I can be the friend at your side
Accept your worst traits
Lean on the one you trust
I’m always here
To laugh at the same old jokes
And draw you near
I can’t say I’ll always get it right
Called to arms like a shining knight
Even when the laughter ends
Your trust will pay you dividends
Learn all my lessons the hardest way
Reassure you its my choice to stay
Even when the laughter ends
There’s not a soul who could contend
I can’t say I’ll always get it right
Called to arms like a shining knight
Even when the laughter ends
Your trust will pay you dividends
Learn all my lessons the hardest way
Reassure you its my choice to stay
Even when the laughter ends
There’s not a soul who could contend
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9. |
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The matters I know matter to no one
The matters I know matter to no one
The matters I know matter to no one
The matters I know matter to no one
The matters I know matter to no one
The matters I know matter to no one
The matters I know matter to no one
The matters I know matter to no one
The matters I know matter to no one
The matters I know matter to no one
The matters I know matter to no one
The matters I know matter to no one
The matters I know matter to no one
The matters I know matter to no one
The matters I know matter to no one
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10. |
A Labyrinth
03:08
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There is no
There is no sign
Leading the way
Despite my plans
Despite my care
It seems I strayed
Chances of me finding
My way within these winding lanes
Fall to nought
Further that I travel
More the map unravels
Lose what is sought
Amazed by how long I can wander round
A labyrinth; my goals cannot be found
These roads I’m destined to walk up and down
A rabbit hole, I’m nowhere bound
If I keep on walking
Will the way find me?
If I don’t stop talking
Then you might see
I find my feet
Inside the prints
I left before
Another chance
To follow suit
Or walk abroad
As the paths diverge
Another choice emerges
Option fatigue
If my way is wrong
And I’m stringing you along
We’ll all be aggrieved
Amazed by how long I can wander round
A labyrinth; my goals cannot be found
And then my heart pounds
With sweat on my brow
My stomach churning
I’ve had enough now
The walls lean closer
I fear the worst
But up above me
Are the birds
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Amateur Ornithologist Gateshead, UK
Weird pop group from North East England. The band’s neurodivergent members have found a home for their musical expressions; fusing pop, orchestral, jazz and rock influences to create a grand melodic sound.
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Great songwriting and weird sounds. Pop as it should be!
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