First Light, by Paul Bell

First Light

by Paul Bell

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My First Light, and my back-catalogue recordings "Small Town Boy" and "What I call Romance". 39 songs. Save £10.

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1.	Beautiful and brave 03:47	lyrics	buy track
I feel the grief and the gratitude For two weeks in a hospital room It wasn’t enough But you never know the difference it made I feel the love and I feel the loss Though it really isn’t mine to feel My heart is changed And you never know the difference it made Be beautiful and brave Every act of kindness sees the world change In that moment I know you’ll be touched by grace Be beautiful and brave (whoa) Be beautiful and brave (whoa) There is an ache hidden in the smile Tears have flowed for a little while Love lingers on And nobody leaves the world unchanged There is a light shining in the dark And I keep it burning in my heart Show me the way Cos I will not leave the world the same (And I hear you saying)
2.	Down the middle 03:36	lyrics	buy track
If there is a great divide I could find myself on either side When good and bad collide There’s a battle raging on inside. Even on my better days I could still mess up ten different ways I’m not easy to define I guess that I’m on both sides of the line It runs right down the middle of my heart Right down the middle of my heart I don't know where it ends But this is where I start It runs right down the middle of my heart I was broken from the start Everyone's a fractured work of art In the light and in the dark Smudged and dirty fingerprints of God Hour to hour and day to day I say things I wish I didn't say All's not lost but all's not fine I guess that I’m on both sides of the line It runs right down the middle of my heart Right down the middle of my heart I don't know where it ends But this is where I start It runs right down the middle of my heart Take my right take my wrong Take these broken, simple little songs Wipe the dirt from my face Wash me in the river of your grace Let it run right down the middle of my heart Right down the middle of my heart I don't know where it ends But this is where I start Running right down the middle of my heart
3.	Even when you're gone 03:39	lyrics	buy track
We don't get to know the differences we make It's just the rules of the game Some things are kept hidden for all our sakes Some things we should share before it gets too late Even when you're gone Your love lives on Even when you're gone Your love lives on. Some things in this life we don’t get to choose We can only play the hand we’re dealt So let your kindness be your legacy You never know just where and when it will be felt Even when you're gone Your love lives on Even when you're gone Your love lives on. Like ripples on a lake Or the planting of a seed When you love somebody You can’t know where it leads I still see the light from a star that long burned out And there's a love that echoes beyond time Even when you're gone Your love lives on Even when you're gone Your love lives on.
4.	Look back, smiling 04:04	lyrics	buy track
I’m glad you’re here tonight I’ll be sorry when you go Hope I’ll see you later Somewhere down the road For this moment our lives intertwine I am part of your story, and you are part of mine I am grateful for the time we share For these moments breathing the same air When I remember this I’m gonna look back, smiling Like a summer’s day Can be gone before you know You savour every second When the sun starts getting low For this moment our lives intertwine I am part of your story, and you are part of mine I am grateful for the time we share For these moments breathing the same air When I remember this I’m gonna look back, smiling Through the highs and the lows Every season of the soul It means so much to know That we’ve been together For this moment our lives intertwine I am part of your story, and you are part of mine I am grateful for the time we share For these moments breathing the same air When I remember this I’m gonna look back, smiling
5.	Not goodbye 03:28	lyrics	buy track
Not sure what this is How to describe this moment Don't know what to call it But it's not goodbye Reminds me of "so long" A bit like "see you later" But whatever it may be It’s not goodbye No it's not goodbye It's not goodbye I'll see you someday on the other side Disguised as an end It's a new beginning Like losing, but still winning And it's not goodbye Weeping in the night Joy comes in the morning So whatever this may be It’s not goodbye
6.	Mend the cracks with gold 04:18	lyrics	buy track
Some things you can't undo Some things you can't unbreak No amount of glue Can fix the mess we make Some things you can't unsay Some things you can't unhear You can't un-throw a punch You can't un-cry a tear But you can mend the cracks with gold Mend the cracks with gold When everything seems lost You can mend the cracks with gold Mend the cracks with gold It could be better than it ever was Better than it ever was Time is a one way street And clocks won’t be turned back You shouldn’t shy away From the pain that’s in the past With fragments all around It’s easy to despair But the broken and the worn Are not beyond repair You can mend the cracks with gold Mend the cracks with gold When everything seems lost You can mend the cracks with gold Mend the cracks with gold It could be better than it ever was Better than it ever was
7.	So bright 03:37	lyrics	buy track
Have you got questions? Have you got doubts? Have you still got things you're trying to figure out Have you got worries? Have you got fears? Have you got bundles of regrets from down the years Then come, Oh come… There is a field so bright And we don't have to run We can take our time Hear a still, small voice, whispering "Love, it's gonna be fine" Have you got courage? Have you got hopes? Are they hanging by the last thread of the rope? Have you got promise? Have you got time? Do you need to know there's someone on your side? Then come, Oh come…
8.	Things no-one knows 04:04	lyrics	buy track
Where do all the teaspoons go? And the other odd socks? Do they dance with the Tupperware lids? Which one’s Ant and which one’s Dec? Is MySpace still ‘a thing’? Who thought Ja Ja Binks was a good idea? There are things no one knows There are things no one knows One flower withers and the next one grows There are things no one knows Why does toast fall butter-side down? Why is belly button fluff blue? What’s the second verse of “God save the Queen” Why are pears always too hard, or disappointingly soft But hardly ever in-between? There are things no one knows There are things no one knows One flower withers and the next one grows There are things no one knows Where’s the sense in sickness? Can you reason with death? Can you make sense of joy and pain? Could it have been different? Could you have done more? Some things refuse be explained There are things that no one knows There are things that no one knows I carry questions but He shares the load This side of heaven that’s the way it goes There are things no one knows
9.	Safely home 04:43	lyrics	buy track
You laughed as you ran From slide to swing, with a song to sing The ups and the downs Of squeaking seesaws made you feel ten feet tall But the bumps and the grazes They sting like crazy Tears are quick to fall Do not worry Your daddy's arms are strong And he holds you Safe in his love And at the end of the day When there's no time to play He will carry you safely home Out on the town The days were long and the nights were warm Laughs echo loud And the evening air makes you feel ten feet tall But a Father’s waiting With a heart that’s aching If ever you should fall Do not worry Your daddy's arms are strong And he holds you Safe in his love And at the end of the day If you should lose your way He will carry you safely home Years fly like weeks They’ve just begun, and the next day they’re gone Time is a thief Steals the days that you thought were your own So with tired eyes fading And body failing When it’s time to go. Do not worry Do not worry Do not worry Your daddy's arms are strong And he holds you Safe in his love And at the end of the day When there's no time to play He will carry you safely home Do not worry Your daddy's arms are strong And he holds you Safe in his love And at the end of the day If you should lose your way He will carry you safely home
10.	What matters in time 04:09	lyrics	buy track
When you are hurting Keep your heart soft Hold on to wonder Lean in to love Know that you’re precious You are enough Feel heaven smiling Know you are loved Cos nobody knows how many more goes we get round the sun… I hope you laugh, I hope you cry I hope you fail and go back for another try I hope you’ll love, I hope you feel Don’t settle for anything that isn’t real And I hope you won’t waste any more time Chasing the smokescreens that never could satisfy And I hope that you find out what matters in time Walk in the sunshine Breathe deep and long Fight for what’s right, now Admit when you’re wrong, Learn when to let go And when to hold on Live life for something That lasts when you’re gone

about

So, when I last made an album in 2013 - "Small Town Boy" - I wasn’t sure if I’d make another. At the time I guess I felt like I’d said all I had to say. But a lot can change in five years.

These songs kind of snuck up on me. Songs about hope, songs about grief, about questions, about finding beauty in brokenness, about being together. At the start of the year I realised I’d been writing an album.

So in March 2018, along with Dan and Matt Weeks I hopped on a plane to Stockholm to make a record. We locked ourselves away for a week with a few guitars, a piano, some drums and some mics and hit record.

These are probably the most personal songs I've written, and are marker posts on the journey of the last few years, through sadness, and into a place of hope.

This is First Light.

credits

released August 23, 2018

Paul Bell - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Piano, Hammond Organ, Backing Vocals
Matt Weeks - Bass, Wurlitzer, Hi-strung guitars, Mandolin, Synths
Dan Weeks - Percussion, Drums, Programming, Backing Vocals, Synths
Viktor Buck - Electric guitars, Lap steel, Baritone electric guitar.
Johannes Lindsmyr - Drums

Produced & Engineered by Dan and Matt Weeks for weeksweeksweeks.com
Recorded at Fred's Kitchen, Stockholm & Rubble Mansions.

Mixed by Dan Weeks.
Mastered by Svante Forsback, ChartMakers.

All songs written by Paul Bell (C) 2018

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about

Paul Bell Nottinghamshire, UK

"Melodic Bliss" - BBC Introducing.

Paul is a singer/songwriter based near Nottingham. Featured on BBC Radio 2, BBC Introducing. Appeared at Greenbelt, Big Church Day Out, Spring Harvest and other UK Festivals

Gigs in Coffee Shops, Churches, Pubs, Festivals.

Fifth and most recent album "First Light" recorded in Stockholm, Sweden. ... more