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.
/

about

DATE: Monday, February 23, 1891

LOCATION(S): East London Cemetery, Plaistow, London; The Crown and Seven Stars Public House, Whitechapel, London; a convent hall near the Swallow Gardens murder scene

SCENE: The funeral for Frances Coles was originally planned for Monday, February 23, 1891. In spite of an unexpected rainstorm, thousands of mourners arrived at the East London Cemetery – only to be disappointed to find that the funeral date had been changed to Wednesday, February 25.

Standing among the cemetery headstones, the only witness to Frances Coles’ murder imagines that can see Frances dancing in the distance behind the sheets of rain. As the day wears on, he catches glimpses of a woman who looks like Frances all over the city, only to have her quickly disappear as he attempts to approach her.

With the day’s events weighing heavily on his mind, he decides he will retire to The Crown and Seven Stars to reflect on the ghostly visions. As he makes his way to the public house, he passes a group of vigilantes intent on capturing Frances’ killer. The group has gathered for their nightly vigil in Magdalen Passage on the north side Chamber Street, a short distance from the railway arch where Frances took her last breath.

lyrics

A coal sky
Frames her hollow face
Pale with sorrow
Bloodless, paper skin

Through sheets of rain
See her dancing
In the boneyard
To a sad lament

A bell tower
Composes eulogies
Keeping time
To all the dead hearts

At midnight’s stroke
A raven croaks
Another light grows dim
On the East End

Calling out from the end of the world
Reach to you from the end of the world

On the hollow wind
A melody climbs and falls
Aria from the great divide
A chorus grows
Voice upon voice
A third, a nine
Haunted words
Form a ghostly rhyme

Nightingale
Lying spread eagle
Ripped from stem to stern
In the mud and rubble

A swell mob
Beats a pounding rhythm
In the cobbled streets
Near the convent halls

Through the Swallow Gardens
To the Crown and Seven
Seek oblivion
In a glass of gin

Feel the walls breathe
Hear them rasp and wheeze
Taste the pestilence
In the thick air

Calling out from the end of the world
Reach to you from the end of the world

Calling out from the end of the world
Reach to you from the end of the world

credits

from In the Shadow of the Seven Stars, track released March 1, 2021
Jeff Crandall: Vocals, Piano
Aaron Kerr: Cello
Justin DeLeon: Drums, Percussion
Brett Hansen: Guitars, Lap Steel
Toni Tinetti: Backing Vocals
Tyson Allison: Guitars
Laura Harada: Violin

Engineered by: Steve Murray, Randy Gildersleeve
Mixed by: Randy Gildersleeve, Jeff Crandall
Mastered by Tom Garneau
Produced by: Jeff Crandall

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Emperor Penguin Records image

Emperor Penguin Records Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Emperor Penguin Records began in 2003 in St. Paul, MN and later moved to Milwaukee, WI in 2015. The label is run by musician/producer Tyson Allison. EPR enlists and caters to singer/songwriters, introverts, experimental weirdos, bookish people, and crafters that paint pictures with words and toy with your emotions on a well-placed chord. Thank you for your interest! ... more

contact / help

Contact Emperor Penguin Records

Streaming and
Download help

Shipping and returns

Report this track or account

Emperor Penguin Records recommends:

If you like Emperor Penguin Records, you may also like:

Bandcamp Daily  your guide to the world of Bandcamp

On Bandcamp Radio

Seafood Sam joins the show to discuss his newest album, " Standing On Giant Shoulders".
listen now