While we sleep tonight

by Paul Bell

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1.	Coming up 03:47	lyrics	buy track
Eyes blinking into a light I thought I'd never see And it feels alright Feels like the whole world's watching Rooting for me And it feels just right The sun shines brighter than before The breeze on my face seems to whisper resurrection I'm coming up Coming up Coming up In coming up Coming up Coming up Been down for so long And it finally feels like I'm coming up Bursting into the warm sunshine of a second chance From the darkest night Possibility floods my soul like the morning air And it feels alright Let each new dawn become the sweet reminder that I need That I am now a rescued man and there's a light that shines on me.
2.	Blazing clouds 04:00	lyrics	buy track
There's a certain time of day when the suns going down and the whole sky glows How I love to watch the world in the hour of the blazing clouds As the light hits every face every blemish fades and the eyes shine As we sit here in the warmth and the light of the blazing clouds And all we see is beautiful And all we see is beautiful There is good and bad in everyone you meet, that's the way it goes. But how I'd love to live my life by the light of the blazing clouds. So you look past all my faults and my failures and let me look past yours Letting grace illuminate our hearts like blazing clouds. And all we see is beautiful And all we see is beautiful When the blemishes that I used to know Get washed away in a heavenly glow And we finally peel away the shroud We're living under blazing clouds And there's no regrets for past mistakes A little grace is all it takes 'stead of hanging heads we'll be standing proud Under the light of the blazing clouds So I'm waiting for the day to come The hurt and pain are all undone The mourning's gone and the dancing's come And there's enough for everyone And every tear gets wiped away The long awaited brighter day The rest is real and joy abounds Like we're dancing in the blazing clouds. And all we see is beautiful And all we see is beautiful
3.	Making good 04:06	lyrics	buy track
Well we made some alterations Tore down some walls And here we sit in dust and mess It hasn't been easy and we're far from done We couldn't settle for less Well we made some decisions And they can't be undone Hoping they're for the best Cos I can't see the end now And I can't see the start It'll all be worth it I guess Now the time has come for making good To paint the new plaster And sand the rough wood I know that you're weary but we both know we should The time has come for making good. When we stripped back the paper and saw all the cracks. We knew we had some work to do. But sometimes you gotta tear things right back So the old can make way for the new. And when you're rebuilding, "one brick at a time" Seems to me the only way And not much worth doing was done overnight Rome wasn't built in a day.
4.	What you're gonna do today 03:38	lyrics	buy track
I've been a hater and a lover Some days neither one or the other. I've been weak and I've been strong But here I am I've been a saint and a sinner I've been a loser and a winner I've been right and I've been wrong And here I stand Now the time has come to say Gotta let go of yesterday Cos all that matters anyway Is what you're gonna do today. I've been sweet and I've been bitter I've been a fighter and a quitter I've been hot and I've been cold But here I am I've been a pro and a beginner I've been fatter I've been thinner. I've been first and I've been last And here I stand Now the time has come to say Gotta let go of yesterday Cos all that matters anyway Is what you're gonna do today. I've been a hater and a lover Some days neither one or the other. But I've been loved all along And here I stand And the time has come to say Gotta let go of yesterday Cos all that matters anyway Is what you're gonna do today.
5.	They go together 03:51	lyrics	buy track
They’re like rhubarb and custard Jelly and Ice cream A jacket potato and a knob of butter Strawberries and cream They go together - They go together They’re like Richard and Judy Prince Phillip and the Queen Tom and Barbara, Simon and Garfunkel Torvill and Dean They go together They go together They’re like body odour and a poor standard of hygiene One follows the other inevitably They’re like ramalamalamakadinkyedydinkdedong Whatever that means They’re like sore bums and cycling A pair of nobbly knees Hercule Poirot and a series of suspicious murders Tissue and sneeze They go together - They go together They’re like Laurel and Hardy Morecambe and Wise B&Q, M&S, C&A, H&M, Dolland and Aitchison They’re like heartburn and acid indigestion Trapped wind and a takeaway for tea They’re like a jigsaw with only two pieces Together complete They’re like Ronnie and Reggie, Crusty baguette and brie (with perhaps a little cranberry) Gin and tonic, Bacardi and cola “Buy one” and “get one free” They go together - They go together Like Trinidad and Tobago Christmas and Boxing Day Knife and fork, one shoe and another identical shoe from the same pair of shoes What I’m trying to say is… They go together - They go together They go together - They go together
6.	Same planet, different world 03:46	lyrics	buy track
There's a girl who lives near Leeds Working two jobs to meet the needs of the two boys she never sees And it's not easy There's a man from the city His house is big and his wife is pretty But his bonus isn't what it used to be He says it's not easy They walk the same planet but different worlds From the single mum to the six figure sum Every man, woman, boy and girl We walk the same planet but a different world. There's a man in aceh Rebuilding the life that got swept away Says he has to take it day by day And it's not easy There's a girl in Milton Keynes Leafing through the lifestyle magazines She's got 4-bedroomed en-suite dreams She says it's not easy They walk the same planet but different worlds From the devastation to the middle class obsession Every man, woman, boy and girl We walk the same planet but a different world. Some worry what they're gonna eat Some worry what they're gonna tweet Some worry what they're gonna drive Some just praying they survive Some people worry bout the bills Some people worry about the pills Take a walk inside their shoes Don’t you know we've all got issues Long time ago in the middle east Came a man they call the King of peace Lived among the last and least. It wasn't easy. He felt the joy and felt the pain Lived and died and rose again. Promised life would never end but he never said "It's gonna be easy". He walked the same planet, stepped into our world From the heavens high he came to die For every man, woman, boy and girl He walked the same planet, stepped into our world
7.	Dreams of home 04:05	lyrics	buy track
Caught in between times The start and the finish line Hope of a lifetime Goal of the meantime There's beauty on the journey But oh the joy of arriving safe with Open arms and an open door Familiar yet not seen before This restless heart was born with Dreams of home. This Soul's treasure house, this... Place where the heart is. Distant oasis Peaceful and tearless We travel with this hope in our hearts That we might bring heaven here
8.	Love 04:49	lyrics	buy track
Love is not the easy option It's not a means to an end It's not a sense of obligation You don't have to pretend Love is more than just emotion It's something that we do Love should not be started If you can't see it through Love could change your life Love could melt your heart Love could put you back on your feet Love's a blazing fire Maybe all that you require To hold it together So love and don't be selfish Love and don't be cruel Love and hold your anger Love and see it through Love and keep on hoping Keep no record of the wrongs When everything has passed away Love will carry on This song that I'm still learning This aching and this yearning I try to understand But it slips through my hand If Mountains move and words are fine And I gave away all that was mine The truth stubbornly persists: It all comes down to this
9.	Too much difference 04:45	lyrics	buy track
I wear knitwear whenever I can I'm not ashamed to say it - I'm a 5 cardigan man. Some days it's too hot, and that's fine and dandy And In the depths of winter, a jumper's very handy But on those inbetween days When the sky is all blues and greys I'm confused and I'm dazed I guess what I'm trying to say is... My jumper makes too much difference When I take it off, I'm frozen With it on, it's like a woven oven My jumper makes too much difference The warmness of the fabric Has left me feeling tragic And I don't know whether to take it off or not. I've kept it on, just tried to put up with it But when I went outside, I just didn't feel the benefit It's on or it's off, there's no room for compromise I won't try to deceive you, or pull the wool over your eyes It's on those in-between days Indecision never pays In so many ways I think what I'm trying to say is My jumper makes too much difference I wish my sleeves I could chop To render my jumper an improvised tank top My jumper makes too much difference If I were a little older I'd drape it round my shoulders But I don't know whether to take it off or not. I went to the doctors, he said "I can't help you" So I said "but you're a cardi-ologist", but apparently that's not what they do When driving one day, my arms, they felt colder. I knew I had to stop - I needed to pullover. It was just one of those days Those "on and off and on" again days See, I tried it both ways But I'm still in a malaise My jumper makes too much difference My t-shirt rarely matches And you'd better beware: sweat patches My jumper makes too much difference Could the answer to my prayers Be a series of thin layers? Because I don't know whether to take it off or not.
10.	Extremists of love and grace 03:31	lyrics	buy track
I don't want to love in moderation That's not what my heart is for I don't ever want to look back Wishing I gave more Someone told me that you've got to be the change you want to see They made it sound so easy. Some situations, they can seem to hard to face We need extremists of love and grace Jesus said "the foolish are gonna shame the wise" My so-called wisdom left me feeling numb, and desensitised Someone told me that you've got to be the change you want to see They made it sound so easy. Some situations, they can seem to hard to face We need extremists of love and grace Any journey, near or far Starts from where you are Starts from where you are I know that it's not much, but it's a start: A breaking heart. Someone told me that you've got to be the change you want to see They made it sound so easy. But the one who gives us life helps us run the race, We'll be extremists of love and grace.
11.	While we sleep tonight 05:55	lyrics	buy track
Who knows what the night will bring Who knows what joys what sorrows Who holds our yesterdays and our tomorrows? As I lay down my head Somewhere someone is waking Ground shakes and seas rise Earth groans and earth cries Some things are just beyond explaining And I find myself here praying May the light of heaven keep you warm May the voice of Jesus calm your storm May you know the peace that passes all understanding May you hear an answer when you call And the arms of angels break your fall And the Father watch over us all while we sleep tonight When answers can't be found When there are only questions I search my heart and find no suggestions Except this sense that I must mourn with those who're morning And in the dark times I pray that you'll find Someone who shares your suffering So tonight while you are sleeping May the light of heaven keep you warm May the voice of Jesus calm your storm May you know the peace that passes all understanding May you hear an answer when you call And the arms of angels break your fall And the Father watch over us all while we sleep tonight While we sleep tonight. While we sleep tonight

about

This is a studio album, recorded in summer 2011. It's a record about all sorts of things - chilean miners, haitian earthquakes, home improvement, jumpers, and eternity.

credits

released September 1, 2011

Paul Bell: Vocals, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, baritone guitar, ebow, banjo, mandolin, accordion and shaker on “Making good”

Terl Bryant: Drum kit, shakers, tambourines, toforans, low drum, small maraca, tar, knees, small bells, tambourim, cabasa, cow bells, wind chime, cymbals

Mark Prentice: Electric and upright basses

Mark Edwards: Piano, hammond organ, accordion, harmonium, rhodes, mellotron, glockenspiels, tubular bells, timpani, harpsichord, additional noises

Hannah Holland: Backing vocals

James Middleton: Backing vocals

Stuart Wood: Bodhran on “Making good”

Produced by Paul Bell and Phil Baggaley

Mixed by Rob Bullock, assisted by Phil Baggaley at Open Road Music Studio

Mastered by Nigel Palmer at Lowland Masters

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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