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Tales of Woe

by Silas J. Dirge

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ehSteve
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ehSteve It's easy to find yourself lost in these songs, I highly recommend it.
R. A. Blum
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R. A. Blum This is beyond the scope of what I usually listen to but I found it so very compelling. Maybe best when in a sombre mood maybe not but it hit me good that way. Favorite track: Below and Above.
gene13
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gene13 Silas J. Dirge is a rare talent. Beautiful dark songs dripping with poison and atmosphere tales of woe and sorrow, murder and death. Reviving the rotting corpse of Southern gothic and sending it screaming and howling into the The 21st century. Reminiscent of bands like Slim Cessna's auto club, 16 Horsepower, Sons of Perdition. When you hear the wind howl through the graveyard and the Devil is knocking on your door, this is the sound of Silas J. Dirge.
Nefermose
Nefermose thumbnail
Nefermose This album embodies the eerily beautiful dark folklore of southern gothic music with the soulful, yearning vocals of a musical, old western storyteller. Favorite track: Sirens of the Tar.
Matt
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Matt Killer, dark with depth. Time travel. Favorite track: Crippled King.
Lute FP
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Lute FP Haunting gothic americana, reminds me of 16 Horsepower/ David Eugene Edwards. Compelling stuff.
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1.
Preface 00:43
Ahaahahaaa ahahahaaahahaaaaaaaaa Ahaahahaaa ahahahaaahahaaaaaaaaa Ahaahahaaa ahahahaaahahaaaaaaaaa Ahaahahaaa ahahahaaahahaaaaaaaaa
2.
On my way through ever densening woods I came upon a lake that strangely lured A sudden fear made me flee in horror Still I felt drawn towards that black water I rambled on, searching for my home As I met Death but he did not roam He told me rattled; 'Traveler thou must know I’m stranded too, and am now child of woe' These pits are watching you Black eyes that see straight through They call you from afar The sirens of the tar Death spoke concerned; 'Don’t wander off too far The ones who do, I find facedown in the tar Eyes black and mute. And this ain’t known widespread; But even I’m not sure if they’re alive or dead' These pits are watching you Black eyes that see straight through They call you from afar The sirens of the tar Then, through the trees I heard singing up yonder A lovely sound that eased my pondering As I started wading I heard Death crying; 'Your soul is the tar and your mind the siren'
3.
Reaper 02:33
The queen of mud made us float She troubles the water as we go As we go As we go As we go White is dressed the host She sheds her skin as we go As we go As we go As we go Out in the calm Won’t do you no harm Won’t do you no good It’s the painless lies that hold She makes them up as we go As we go As we go As we go Out in the calm Won’t do you no harm Won’t do you no good Out in the storm The reaper is born Spawn from her roots
4.
He said ‘You’ll get accustomed to the leaking roof and the cold Coasting this train through a winter on hold’ I sensed trouble from the moment he started to stare Into the void outside, mumbling ‘bout finding an heir On the train of aches There ain’t much to do, just a lot to take And keep an endless wake ‘Well son, so long and good luck!’ he said, as he jumped off the car Into the deep, cold, all engulfing dark I reached out, got grip of his arm and didn’t let go But he begged and he pleaded, screamed ‘what do you know?’ On the train of aches There ain’t much to do, just a lot to take And all the towns you’ll reach No one wants to live their broken dreams Ripped at the seams ‘Have you seen what I’ve seen? Taken in years of praying?’ And in his eyes I saw countless lifetimes of pain He shook himself free while he shouted ‘incoming freight!’ Now I ride this train by myself, but at the deadliest pace On the train of aches There ain’t much to do, just a lot to take And all the towns you’ll reach No one wants to live their broken dreams Ripped at the seams
5.
Save Me 03:41
Now why I killed my friend? Hailed from the promised land A noose that would save me now Save me now Well he was long condemned But unaware I went ‘Save me now Save me now’ When I learned his name was Doctrine I slayed him on the scene Exclaiming ‘save me now Save me now’ But more came and a plot they hatched For all the lost sheep must be fetched Pressed on to save me now Save me now I fled and on my trail Cried through a midnights gale ‘Save me now Save me now’ Now as the bright moon curves her arc An angel descends, pale and dark To save me now Save me now
6.
Idyll 01:28
7.
Oh, as I came home one night I called out to my love but there was no reply Scratched on the table I could make out a line It read: ‘I’ve taken her with me, to make her mine’ Oh, where has she gone Oh, where is my love Oh, I will look for her Below and above Oh, I went out on a search But got no help from the law, so I turned to the church The vicar he told me ‘A lean man dressed in black said he was looking for your lady and I pointed him to your shack’ Oh, where has she gone Oh, where is my love Oh, I will look for her Below and above Oh, went back home in a haze To find her body upstairs. I grazed her cold face I wrote a note to be found by the ones that I love ‘Gone looking for her, below and above’
8.
Tender Eyed 03:33
Stained with red eyed mourning And pulled from the dead crow’s beak Came the old man’s warning Not to turn my cheek Hollow a promise spoken Grown from the barren ground Bending the pact that choked them They came and took my crown Don’t you cover this up Don’t you cover this up Leah was tender eyed and broken Nailed to the churches door Telling a tale softspoken A long forgotten lore Don’t you cover this up Don’t you cover this up Don’t you cover this up Don’t you cover this up
9.
I have ruled with iron hand There ain't much I did not ban But I fear that dawn is near And a rising at hand It’s despair this kingdom bleeds And my servants who’ve tended to my needs Fight the urge to sing their dirge These are signs you see Anger expelled me, made me flee Living in wealth brought me to my knees Strapped and tortured, stripped from my fortunes And put in penitentiary Hear my broken muttering Stowed away I quietly sing All hail Your crippled king Now there’s a new king called anarchy His reign is painless but weakening steadily On the shore of a civil war I await their call for me All hail All hail Now I’m back with iron fist Trials so foul you wouldn’t believe existed Now pray and hope as I take this rope With which you bound my wrists This is the day of reckoning I’ll make you feel my sting All hail Your crippled king All hail All hail All hail All hail
10.
Old Scars 05:09
Moira’s here to set me free I can feel her beady eyes on me She told me that my lot weighed down And that she’s out To make me wear my crown For years I thought I’d be left alone But my guardian angel got enthroned She asked me if I knew her god As she stood awed I told her I did not So here they are Back from afar Here they are Them old scars The king had left his son in charge A ruthless tyrant by and large He told us that he would forgive All our sins and shit But now rules as he deems fit Now Moira’s here to set me free I can feel her beady eyes on me She told me that my lot weighed down And that she’s out To make me wear my crown So here I lay Rotting, bone dry Here I lay Cover your eyes Because here they are All over my heart Here they are Them old scars

about

Tales of Woe is Silas J. Dirge's debut album. This gothic country album takes you on a journey through a dark and disturbing world where nothing is what it seems and even Death himself has no clue what is going on.

Click on the track name to get some insight into the songs (desktop only I believe), their lyrics and some more unnecessary rambling.

For now this album is a digital only release, but if you're interested in owning it on VINYL or CD you can let me know by emailing me on silasjdirge[at]jankooiker.com. A short message will suffice.
If enough people are interested I'll have the album pressed.

Thanks for listening and reading all this. Follow me here on Bandcamp to get notified about any future releases.

credits

released December 1, 2018

Vocals, guitars, harmonium, piano, percussion: J. Kooiker
Guitars: H. de Ruiter
Double bass: T. van Voorst
Harp: Y. Bergsma
Additional vocals: J. Zandbergen

Artwork: Y. Bergsma

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Silas J. Dirge Amsterdam, Netherlands

"Silas J. Dirge offers roots-infused poetry set to sparse arrangements that deftly conveys the hidden beauty behind dark roots music" - Saving Country Music

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