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Nothing to Envy

by Last of the Barstools

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about

This song was inspired by two characters from an amazing book I read called 'Nothing to Envy' by American Author Barbara Demick. It tells the story of real lives in North Korea through the words of the escapees. I wrote about a young couple from entirely different classes in society who risked their lives and their livelihoods just to see each other. They would climb the hills, walk the abandoned roads, and tell stories each night until fate intervened and forced them to part. This is their story and how I like to imagine it ended.

lyrics

When the streetlights have faded out,
And the night patrol have finally left their posts,
And the dogs in the street have stopped howling at the moon.
That's when, that's when I'd find you.

We'd walk for miles, across the barren countryside, to a secret lake where we'd wash our sins away.
You'd laugh at my jokes, my tales, my anecdotes.
We were special and for a moment our lives were our own.

Then we'd sing together, words that seem so absurd.
We've got nothing left to envy in this world.

You moved to the city when Springtime arrived.
Your father so proud an academic could come from this town.
As you whispered goodbye I swear I saw teardrops in your eyes.
And then you slipped quietly into the night.

I came home when I could, but the train lines they ain't no good.
There's been a shortage of fuel, electricity and food for a year now.
I found illegal TV, from an unknown frequency,
I learned the life I had known was just a lie I'd been told from the start.

And then I thought of your mother, and all the lies she was fed,
As she lay starving on the floor with nothing to envy but death.

I wrote you a letter, saying nothing is how it seems,
Gave you my word, and a time and a place to meet.
When you lose all you love only pain could be left behind.
But as you made your way to our fallen lake I swear I saw you smile.

Across rocks and mountain sides, we were free as the birds in flight,
Six days seven nights and the riverside was in sight.
By its banks we prayed, for your mother, your sisters enslaved.
Then you took my hand we jumped and we swam and we swam.

And I thought if I die tonight, at least I'll die with you.
We've got nothing left to envy now we've found the truth.

credits

released April 23, 2013

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Last of the Barstools London, UK

Last of the Barstools are a dynamic London based indie/folk group. They write narrative songs, rich with harmonies and delicate instrumentation. Their lyrics are poignant and cinematic with vocal lines shared and swapped throughout, allowing each story to be told in their own unique way. ... more

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