We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

Ancient History, Vol. 1

by tim nelson

/
1.
Hourglass 03:36
lyrics
buy track
************************************** What am I to tell you? What am I to say? It'd just be a metaphor anyway... And would you listen? Would you care? Would you leave me hanging in the air? What can you tell me? What do you see? Shall we just sit and watch tv And let the hours slip away and turn to days? I had nothing much to do anyway. What am I to tell you? A story of a man Who closed up the shop and turned to sand? And through the window came the wind. Someone tried to find a box to put it in. An hourglass had washed up onto the shore. I looked inside and felt we'd met before. I turned it over and I waited, again. I felt as if I were losing a friend. (1988 Nimyonta Music) ***************************
2.
Dark Water 02:46
lyrics
buy track
******************************* Look down into dark water... Look out over dark water... Reflection of a gray sky on dark water... Can't see the sun, can't see the bottom... Nothing lives in dark water... (1988 Nimyonta Music) *************************
3.
Lola and the Shadow Game 04:58
lyrics
buy track
*********************************** You don't know me and I don't know your real name But I know about you all the same As I play the shadow game. Oh, Lola, come to the window tonight. I've watched you laughing and I've watched you love. I've watched while you were not aware, Like a satellite in the sky above. Oh, Lola, Lola, come to the window tonight. I'm a fly on the wall. I'm a crystal ball. And love slips through my trembling fingers As I play the shadow game. You don't know me but I'm sure I should be your man Although the ring you wear on your left hand Doesn't fit the plan. Oh, come to the window tonight, Lola, don't turn out the light... Oh, Lola, Lola... Come to the window As I play the shadow game... (1988 Nimyonta Music) *****************************
4.
Ruins 04:37
lyrics
buy track
************************************* They say that a man's home is a castle But can you make a castle a home? 4,000 years, waiting and wondering, I walk through the castle alone... 4,000 years... Who walked these walls before? 4,000 years... Who walked these walls before? Forever and still I'm a stranger Unimmune to the danger of being alone. 4,000 years, my heart slowly turning As cold and hard as these walls of stone... 4,000 years... Who walked these walls before? 4,000 years... Who walked these walls before? They say that love can be a hassle; I'm looking for trouble and waiting by the phone. 4,000 years... Do you think you've seen the future? I will walk through my castle alone. (1989 Nimyonta Music) ***********************************
5.
Gamelan Wakeup Call 01:52
buy track
6.
Perspective 02:55
lyrics
buy track
************************** Would you remember, if I Filled in the blanks for you, if I Walked the plank for you, would it All come rushing back? I seem to remember, should I Refresh your memory, could I Get you a cup of tea, or Something like that? It all depends on your perspective, It all depends on your point of view, And memories are all subjective. The case in point: me and you. Would you remember, if I Spelled out the words for you, if I Shouldered your burdens, too, like I Did before? I seem to remember that I Once felt the same way too But you opened your mouth and I came to My senses. It all depends on who points the finger, Who casts the blame, who throws the stone... It's just a matter of perspective... (1989 Nimyonta Music)
7.
What That Means 03:34
buy track
8.
Happy Song 02:43
lyrics
buy track
************************* He was a happy man. He wore a baseball cap. He drove a pickup truck across the map. She was a lonely girl. They met one Saturday and Now they're holding hands at a matinee. Now she's a happy girl And he's a happy guy. They like to spend their time together. They ate a wedding cake And people gave them gifts. They moved into a house in the suburbs. The happy man and his happy wife Had several happy babies And they sing a happy song. La lalalala la lalalalala la lalalala All day La lalalala la lalalalala la lalalala All day La lalalala la lalalalala la lalalala All day (1989 Nimyonta Music)
9.
Wireless 04:20
lyrics
buy track
********************** It's all remote control now, Used to have to get up and walk across the room, Used to have to pull a switch, turn a knob to watch the news... Car bomb in the embassy... Change the channel and you won't have to see. Choose between the Flintstones and reality, It's time.... It's all remote control now, Press a button and the missiles fly And there's no need for close-ups, no need to see them die... It's a long-distance heavy breather call But frightened eyes at the end of a bayonet Are about as real as it could ever get. But I don't want to see, don't remind me. Is this our legacy? But I don't want to know, don't want to get involved... Come talk to me once you've got your problems solved. Well, I've told you before and before that some more If we're all here, who's minding the store? Will there ever be a fourth world war? Keep the score by remote control. It's all remote control now, Used to have to get up and walk across the room, Used to have to pull a switch, twist a knob to watch the news... (1989 Nimyonta Music)
10.
JKLMNOP 03:38
lyrics
buy track
***************** Know all, know all, you claim As you wag your finger and cry "Shame!" Once again you've changed your name... Change the world, Change your mind, Change for the sake of change. Strange, seems we've seen it all before. You've been singing that song since 1984. Still haven't found what you were looking for... Look around, Turn around, Take it downtown and ask for more. Competition, thrive on competition, Competition, live competitively... Competition, are you a musician Or an athlete on TV? Do you really believe the things you say? I can tell you try to make it seem that way As you find a way to make it pay... Scream and shout, You've sold out. Come in out of the gamma rays... Competition, live up to the predictions, Competition, you take it so seriously... Competition, 'cause we're all out to get you And that's the way it has to be... You're so above it all As you dispense your point of view... But can't you see, it's changing too? Change the world, Change your mind, Change before it changes you... (1989 Nimyonta Music)
11.
Believe Me 04:29
lyrics
buy track
*************************** I saw an old dog, he was doing new tricks And the lightning struck my roof again. And a penny saved won't pay all the bills And I thought that you, you were my friend... But you can't always believe what you see, Can't believe what you happen to hear And a promise don't mean a thing, Believe me.... I led a horse down to the river. I guess he must have been bone dry. And a fool walked by, flashing rolls of cash; A billionaire's heir, he'll do alright. But you can't always believe what you see, Can't believe what you happen to hear And a promise don't mean a thing, Believe me.... I don't know how but you fooled us all. All the people, all the time. So I called the number that was scribbled on the wall, She wasn't really all that good a time. But you can't always believe what you see, Can't believe what you happen to hear And a promise don't mean a thing, Believe me.... I saw an old dog, he was doing new tricks And the lightning struck my roof again. And a penny saved won't pay all the bills And I thought that you, you were my friend... But you can't always believe what you see, Can't believe what you happen to hear And a promise don't mean a thing, Believe me.... But you can't always believe what you see, Can't believe what you happen to hear And a promise don't mean a thing, Believe me.... (1989 Nimyonta Music)
12.
Think I'll Start Again 03:19
lyrics
buy track
************************* I think... Think I'll start again. Step back, take a look... What she said Wasn't hard to figure out If you think about it. Think about it. We used to talk about striving for perfection As we stumbled about with no real direction... Can you say you've learned from being burned? I have and I can safely say I think I'll start again. Think I'll start again. Time teaches as it reaches through the years. What once were fears are lessons learned. What have we learned? We used to talk about so many things, We'd change the world, we'd topple kings... The game we wouldn't play we've been playing all along But all the same the spark remains... I think I'll start again. (1989 Nimyonta Music)
13.
And You Smile 06:48
lyrics
buy track
************************ A mountain trail no one's walked in a while Sets the scene for your crime And you smile. You know what you're doing And you do it quite well. Steal another heart, kiss and tell, And you smile As you carve another notch, you smile. Check your mark and smile. Frozen in stone, you smile And I've never felt so alone And you smile. Shed a tear, crocodile. Tear out my heart And you smile. And now we're alone and I'm on to your style. I tell you it's over And you smile. (1989 Nimyonta Music)
14.
Empty, Cold and Lonely 02:02
buy track
15.
Back to Amnesia 04:04
lyrics
buy track
******************** I wish I was going Back to Amnesia, Back to the place I remember so well. I wish I could be there now But, somehow, I don't know why. There's a feeling I get when I'm feeling this way, Just what, when or why, I'm unable to say. I wish I could be there now But it seems I've forgotten the way... I wish I was going Back to Amnesia, Back to the place I remember so well. I wish I could be there now But, somehow, I don't know why. There's a place... or is it just a state of mind? Whatever it was, I couldn't stay... I wish we could go there now. You'd like it there. I'm sure. I wish we were going Back to Amnesia, Back to the place I remember so well. I wish I could be there now But, somehow, I don't know why. (1989 Nimyonta Music)
16.
Silence and Slow Time 02:07
buy track
17.
What You Can Do 03:20
lyrics
buy track
************************************** You can be a neurosurgeon and never leave your home. You can vivisect living brains, just leave mine alone. Take a correspondence course conducted on the phone... I don't care what you do. I don't care what you do. I don't care what you do. I don't care what you do. You can be anonymous and get lost in the crowd Or make a scene an wear gold chains, saying nothing, talking loud. You can be a Rasta, mon, with your head inside a cloud. I don't care what you do. I don't care what you do. I don't care what you do. I don't care what you do. You can be an archaeologist and dig up ancient bones Or study all the moss that grows on strolling Joans. You can go to Mississippi and hear a black cat moan. I don't care what you do. I don't care what you do. I don't care what you do. I don't care what you do. You can be contagious, spreading chicken pox. You could start a fashion trend by sleeping in your socks Or move into a greenhouse and do what you will with rocks. I don't care what you do. I don't care what you do. I don't care what you do. I don't care what you do. I don't care what you do. I don't care what you do. I don't care what you do. I don't care what you do. (1989 Nimyonta Music)
18.
Song for... 04:40
lyrics
buy track
****************** Where are you now? I remember your hair the color of moonlight on your shoulders. Ten years since the school bus smiles, I remember your name. Where are you now? Where are you now? I remember your eyes and the way they shone from the light inside. Ten years since I waited, now or never, I settled for never. Where are you now? Where are you now? I remember your smile and I wanted to hold you forever. Ten years since the silence, you never suspected I loved you. Where are you now? (1989 Nimyonta Music)
19.
Sing Me to Sleep 04:22
lyrics
buy track
********************* Sing me to sleep... Forever... I'll follow you through dreams... I'll follow you forever... Sing me to sleep... Forever... A siren's call, Soft and subtle through the night... I hear you through the mists, obscured... Sing me to sleep... Forever... I'll follow you through the endless night... I'll follow you forever... Sing me to sleep... Forever... I hear you calling me to join you... I don't know why you felt you had to go alone... Sing me to sleep... Forever... You never left an explanation, not a word... I hear you calling when I sleep... Sing me to sleep... Forever... (1989 Nimyonta Music)
20.
High on a Hill 03:00
lyrics
buy track
*************** High on a hill, Looking down, there's a town By the side of the sea; No one knows I'm here. Down in the streets People and cars flow Like blood through the veins of the city; No one knows I'm here. I've tried to pretend that I think I belong and I've tried to defend this excuse for a song and Habitually done what I know to be wrong... I'll take my ball and go home. High on a hill, Away from the game, Taking time to collect my thoughts and to breathe... No one knows I'm here. Sometimes I wonder, If I just disappeared, Would anyone notice or care? No one knows I'm here. (1989 Nimyonta Music)
21.
Bonus Track 03:02
buy track

about

Total time: 76:23

Part of a six-volume set of low-fi home demo recordings recorded in bedrooms and basements, Volume 1 was recorded on a Fostex X15 four-track recorder and mixed down to a Pioneer CK-W50 boom box. Tracks 1-3 were recorded in 1988 in Misawa, Aomori prefecture, Japan. Tracks 4-21 were recorded in Sinop, Turkey in 1989

credits

released May 3, 2021

Words, music, all instruments and production by Timothy Nelson.

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

tim nelson image

tim nelson Barrington, New Hampshire

Tim Nelson is a film composer, sound designer and multi-instrumentalist session musician/producer. He has since 2007 been a frequent collaborator with award-winning filmmakers/animators the Quay Brothers.

contact / help

Contact tim nelson

Streaming and
Download help

Report this album or account

tim nelson recommends:

If you like tim nelson, you may also like:

Bandcamp Daily  your guide to the world of Bandcamp

On Bandcamp Radio

Featuring Riley Pinkerton (aka The Rat Queen) from the theatrical NYC rockers, Castle Rat.
listen now