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Only a Link in a Chain (SB028)

by Zoe Heselton

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    Screenprinted, duplicated and assembled at Papier Gâchette, Strasbourg.
    Includes 24 page booklet with lyrics, poems and drawings.

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1.
[EN]: I sought a newer music, But it sounded false, and wrong. I'd find a tune and lose it, Hearing an older song. I'd find a tune and lose it, And always, all day long, Among my thoughts and doings Half heard some older song. Among my thoughts and doings A tune would ring out strong, Yet change when I pursued it, Lost in that older song. The tunes of my own choosing All sounded false, and wrong. I sought a newer music, I found an older song. ------------------------------ [FR]: J'ai cherché une musique nouvelle, Mais elle ne sonnait jamais juste. Je trouvais un air, puis je la perdais, J'y entendais une chanson ancienne. Tous les airs que je trouvais m'échappaient— Et à chaque heure et chaque jour, Parmi mes pensées j'entendais Sonner un air ancien. Parfois parmi mes pensées Une mélodie apparaissait— Mais changeait quand je la poursuivais, Perdue dans cette chanson ancienne. Les mélodies que j'inventais Ne sonnaient jamais juste— J'ai cherché une nouvelle musique, J'ai trouvé une chanson plus ancienne.
2.
[EN] Don't mind people grinning in your face. Just bear one thing in mind: A true friend is hard to find. You know your mother will talk about you, Your sisters and your brothers too— It don't matter how you're trying to live, They'll talk about you still. Don't mind people grinning in your face. Just bear one thing in mind: A true friend is hard to find. You know they'll jump you up and down, They'll spin you round and round. Just as soon as your back is turned, They'll be trying to put you down. Don't mind people grinning in your face. Just bear one thing in mind: A true friend is hard to find. ------------------------------- [FR] T'en fais pas des gens qui se moquent de toi. Garde juste une chose en tête: Un•e bon•ne ami•e c'est dur à trouver. Tu sais ta famille parlera de toi, Tes frères et tes soeurs aussi. Peu importe comment t'essaies de vivre, On parlera de toi encore. T'en fais pas des gens qui se moquent de toi. Garde juste une chose en tête: Un•e bon•ne ami•e c'est dur à trouver. Tu sais on te secouera dans tous les sens, On te ferra tourner en bourrique. À l'instant où tu tournes le dos, On te poussera à terre. T'en fais pas des gens qui se moquent de toi. Garde juste une chose en tête: Un•e bon•ne ami•e c'est dur à trouver. ------------------------------- [ES] No te preocupas de las gente que se ríe de ti. Mantén ese pensamiento: Unx buenx amigx es difícil de encontrar. Sabes, tu madre hablará de ti. Tus hermanos y hermanas también. No importa cómo intentes vivir, Hablará de ti siempre. Pero no te preocupas de las gente que se ríe de ti. Mantén ese pensamiento: Unx buenx amigx es difícil de encontrar.
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[EN]: The sun has risen, And the rivers have been released from their banks. And we are golden, We are holy in the bodies of flesh. We are young, But we are not fools— And I remember what George you once told me: "Man never grows wise to love; Man never grows wise to death" And you gave me a rose for winter, Like the splinter in your finger When you were all alone, Standing in your mothers clothes. And tonight once more Your body was close to mine— And it was warm like a sun. And with the words of Leonard Cohen Blowing through your lips As I am stitched to your hips. And you gave me a rose for winter, Like the splinter in your finger When you were all alone, Standing in your mothers clothes. And the scent of your skin, Like a spear through my senses Like breaking down the fences Of my inhibition. ----------------- [FR] Le soleil s'est levé, Et les rivières ont été lâchées Par leurs berges. Et nous sommes doré•es, Nous sommes sacré•es dans ces corps de chair. Nous sommes jeunes, Mais pas idiot•e•s, Et je me souviens de ce que tu m'as dit George: "On ne s'habitue jamais à l'amour, On ne s'habitue jamais à la mort" Et tu m'as donné une rose pour l'hiver, Comme l'écharde dans ton doigt Quand tu étais toute seule Dans les vêtements de ta mère. Et ce soir encore Ton corps était proche du mien, Chaud comme un soleil. Et avec les mots de Leonard Cohen Qui traversent tes lèvres, Pendant que nous sommes cousues par hanches, Cousues par les mains et les hanches. Et tu m'as donné une rose pour l'hiver, Comme l'écharde dans ton doigt Quand tu étais toute seule Dans les vêtements de ta mère. Et le parfum de ta peau Comme une flèche qui perce mes sens, Comme démanteler les clôtures De mon inhibition.
5.
[EN] Like a bird on a wire, Like a drunk in the midnight choir I have tried in my way to be free. Like a worm on a hook, Like a knight in some old fashioned book, I have saved all my ribbons for thee. If I have been unkind, I hope that you can just let it go by. And if I have been untrue, I hope you know it was never to you. Like a baby stillborn, Like a beast with his mighty horns, I have torn everyone who reached out to me. But I swear by this song, And by all that I have done wrong, I will make it all up to you. I saw a beggar leaning on his wooden crutch, He said to me "Hey my friend, you must not ask for so much all the time", And a pretty woman leaning in her darkened door, She said "Hey my friend, why don't you ask for more?" Like a bird on a wire, Like the wind in the heart of the night. I keep trying every day, in my way, To find a way, to find a means to be free. ---------------------- [FR] Comme un oiseau sur un fil, Comme un•e ivrogne dans la chorale de minuit, J'ai cherché ma liberté. Comme un ver de terre sur un hameçon, Comme un•e chevalier•e d'antan, J'ai gardé tous mes rubans pour toi. Si j'ai été méchant•e, J'espère que tu me le pardonneras, Et si j'ai été faux•sse, J'espère que tu sais que ce n'étais jamais avec toi. Comme un bébé mort-né, Comme une bête avec ses cornes, J'ai déchiré chaque personne qui m'a ouvert ses bras. Mais je jure sur cette chanson, Et sur toutes mes erreurs, Je réparerais tout ce que j'ai brisé. J'ai vu un•e mendiant•e appuyé•e sur sa béquille en bois, Iel m'a dit "Hé mon ami•e, tu ne devrais pas en demander autant" Et une belle femme appuyée dans l'ombre de sa porte, Elle m'a dit "Hé mon ami•e, pourquoi tu n'en demanderais pas un peu plus?" Comme un oiseau sur un fil, Comme le vent dans le coeur de la nuit, J'ai cherché ma liberté. -------------------------
6.
[EN] Songs are thoughts, sung out with the breath when people are moved by great forces & ordinary speech no longer suffices. We are moved just like the ice floe sailing here and there in the current. Our thoughts are driven by a flowing force when we feel joy, when we feel fear, when we feel sorrow. Thoughts can wash over us like a flood, making our breath come in gasps and our heart throb. Something like an abatement in the weather will keep us thawed up. And then it will happen that we, who always think we are small, will feel still smaller. And we will fear to use words. But it will happen that the words we need will come of themselves. When the words we want to use shoot up of themselves—we get a new song. ---------------------------- [FR] Les chansons sont des pensées, exprimées par le souffle lorsque des forces puissantes traversent les individus et que la parole ordinaire ne suffit plus à les traduire. Nous sommes alors entraîné•es, tel des blocs de glace dérivant au fil du courant. Nos pensées obéissent au flux d'une force— qu'on éprouve joie, crainte ou tristesse. Nos pensées peuvent nous submerger comme un déluge inattendu., nous coupant le souffle et nous faisant battre le coeur. Un phénomène semblable à une altération du climat le maintiendra dans cet état de dégel. Et il peut arriver que nous qui nous sentons si petit•e•s, éprouvions plus encore notre petitesse. Mais il peut arriver que les mots dont nous avons besoin sortent d'eux-mêmes. Et quand les mots dont nous vouons nous servir viennent ainsi de leur propre chef— nous avons un nouveau chant. ---------------------------- [ES]
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[ES] Yo tengo tantxs hermanxs Que no lxs puedo contar En el valle, la montaña En la pampa y en el mar Cada cual con sus trabajos Con sus sueños, cada cual Con la esperanza adelante Con los recuerdos detrás Yo tengo tantxs hermanxs Que no lxs puedo contar Gente de mano caliente Por eso de la amistad Con uno lloro, pa llorarlo Con un rezo pa rezar Con un horizonte abierto Que siempre está más allá Y esa fuerza pa buscarlo Con tesón y voluntad Cuando parece más cerca Es cuando se aleja más Yo tengo tantxs hermanxs Que no lxs puedo contar Y así seguimos andando Curtidos de soledad Nos perdemos por el mundo Nos volvemos a encontrar Y así nos reconocemos Por el lejano mirar Por la copla que mordemos Semilla de inmensidad Y así, seguimos andando Curtidos de soledad Y en nosotros nuestros muertos Pa que nadie quede atrás Yo tengo tantxs hermanxs Que no lxs puedo contar Y una novia muy hermosa Que se llama ¡Libertad! ------------------------ [EN] I have so many sisters and brothers That I cannot count them. In the valleys, in the mountains, In the pampas and at sea. Each one of them with their work, With their dreams, With the hope that comes before, With the memories that follow— I have so many sisters and brothers That I cannot count them. Warm-handed people, Burning with friendship, With tears to cry with, With dreams to dream, With an open horizon Forever moving further away, And such a strength to seek it With tenacity and will. When it seems to be at its closest, It moves away further still. I have so many sisters and brothers That I cannot count them. And so we keep on walking, Hunted by solitude. Lost in the vast world, We seek out siblings. And so we recognise on another With a distant glance, By the verses that we bite upon: Seeds of immensity. And so we keep on walking, Hunted by solitude. And inside of us our dead Are never left behind. I have so many sisters and brothers That I cannot count them. And a beautiful lover Whose name is liberty! ------------------------ [FR] J'a tant de frères et soeurs Que je ne peux pas les compter.
10.
[EN] A song is a being that dies and lives A song is a being that changes A song is a place that you come from A song is a place you return to A song is a gift that you give and receive A song is a friend that you fight with A song is a friend that you weep with A song is a bread that you share A song is a wine that fills your body A song is a fire in the palm of your hand A song is a breath that moves through your body A song a spell that you cast A song is a stone upon your path A song is a bow and an arrow A song is a water you bathe in A song is a fountain you drink from A song is a tent that you raise when it rains A song is a question you ask A song is a cairn in the mountain A song is a ghost that you welcome A song is a seed that grows in your gut A song is a costume you wear to feel naked A song is a tree-branch you walk with A song is a chain that you shake A song is a map that unfolds you A song is a tombstone you flower A song is ribbon around your wrist A song is a travelling translator A song is a stutter you can’t quite say, And that forces you to sing— A song is a tool to make kin with A song is a dance you are born in A song a singing, a song is a lover A song is a sister and brother A song a being that dies and lives A song is a being you live with --------------------------------------- [FR] --------------------------------------- [ES]
11.
[CREOLE (RÉUNION)] Mi s’ar su chemin Mi vois coups coups d’ cognes na plein Qui coté zot y vient ? Partout mi sava Tout ça mi comprends pas Na trop wati-watia Tout le wati-watia, Tout ’ zot wati-watia Oh qui l’est ou là d’dans Oh qui l’est ou mon frère Oh qui l’est ou là quand Ti vois moins l’est misère Oh qui l’est ou là d’dans Oh qui l’est ou mon frère Oh qui l’est ou là quand Ti vois moins l’est misère Deux-trois néna plein, Deux-trois na point rien Tout’ i mange zot’ douleur Des fois ti demande Mamman pou qoué à moins i pleure Carri na point pou l’ coeur Carri na point pou l’ coeur Carri na point pou l’ coeur Oh qui l’est ou là d’dans Oh qui lé ou bonheur Oh qui est l ou la d’dans Oh mangé pour le coeur Oh qui l’est ou là d’dans Oh qui lé ou bonheur Oh qui est l ou la d’dans Oh mangé pour le coeur Partout i fait noir , Mi enterre pas l’espoir Tout’ l’ temps soleil levé Z’oiseaux la chanté Moin si moin va chanter Même l’est dur ma chanter, Si l’est dur ma chanter Même l’est dur ma chanter Oh qui l’est ou là d’dans Oh qui l’est ou mon frère Oh qui l’est ou là quand Ti vois moins l’est misère Oh qui l’est ou là d’dans Oh qui lé ou bonheur Oh qui est l ou la d’dans Oh mangé pour le coeur -------------------
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about

"This album is based on the the setlist I performed live from 2017 through to 2021. It is dedicated to all of the people, artists, audiences, technicians, organisers and volonteers I’ve had the joy of sharing music and poetry with these past few years. Thank you, friends! You make me grateful to be part of such a precious life." - Zoe

credits

released December 9, 2022

Guitar, voice, drawings : Zoe Heselton

Track 1, words by Ursula K. Le Guin, in Later in the Day; Track 2, words and music by Son House; Tracks 3, 4, 10, 12 & 13, words and music by Zoe Heselton; Track 4, words and music by Leonard Cohen*; Track 5, traditional, after John Jacob Niles; Track 6, words by Orpingalik**, in Technicians of the Sacred; Track 7 & 8**, words and music by Atahualpa Yupanqui; Track 10, words and music by Alain Peters**; Track 14, words by Sun Ra, original improvisation by Elaine Mitchener.

*Alternate words improvised/based on live versions by Leonard Cohen.
**Lyrics in places have been reworked as to be made more inclusive.

Track 3 recorded by Zoe Heselton & Léonie Risjeterre at Soleils Bleus HQ, Spring 2020; Tracks 5, 8, 9, 10 & 14 recorded by Guillaume Cassagnol at Festival Lisle Sauvage, June 2021; Tracks 11 & 12 recorded at la Chèvre, Molodoï, Strasbourg, April 2022; Tracks 1, 4 & 13 recorded at home, Strasbourg, September 2022.

Graphic design : Zoe Heselton and Inès Hosni
CD-R and case duplicated and screen-printed with the help of Emanuelle Amann, Aude Jouvin and Léonie Risjeterre at Papier Gâchette, Strasbourg, FR
Booklet printed by Monotype Pressing, Warsaw, PL
Released with Soleils Bleus (200 copies), December 2022 • SB028

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Some rights reserved. Please refer to individual track pages for license info.

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