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The Poor Devil

by Silas J. Dirge

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LLK
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LLK amazing southern gothic / death country in the style of 16 Horsepower, Slim Cessna's Auto Club, Townes Van Zandt etc. lovely release. Favorite track: Devil's in Town.
Keltan
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Keltan Bought the CD and got an artwork and another CD, to gift to someone on the holidays, for free. Well worth the money and great artists (both of them).

PS: I think it's a pig too
Nefermose
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Nefermose This album captures the nuanced darkness of southern gothic music in a manner that both challenges and captivates the listener with a broad variety of macabre tales and dark western soundscapes. Favorite track: Flowers on her Grave.
Mark Howson
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Mark Howson Deliciously dark and packed full of great tracks. A great album from a talented songwriter. Favorite track: I Saw a Snake.
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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

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    Includes unlimited streaming of The Poor Devil via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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  • Streaming + Download

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  • Full Digital Discography

    Get all 3 Silas J. Dirge releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of The Poor Devil, The Grudge, and Tales of Woe. , and , .

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1.
Hang me High 02:27
Oh hang me high 'Cause I wish to go Where I belong In that place below I will not cry When I see that rope For he will come And take me home And when you see My unmarked grave Don’t pity me 'Cause I’m not saved Oh hang me high 'Cause I wish to go Where I belong In that place below And when you see My unmarked grave Don’t pity me 'Cause I’m not saved Oh hang me high 'Cause I wish to go Where I belong In that place below Then he will come And take me home
2.
From the corner of my eye Leaves rustle, birds fly A strange noise rides the breeze The rattling of my shaky knees Shake shake shake shake shake shake shake shake Shake shake shake shake shake shake shake shake Something's here, it's closing in This is one fight I cannot win My blood's cold, I tremble, I sway My mouth's dry, all I can say is Hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey Hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey Branches snap, it must be tall I step back, I stumble, I fall On my knees I shiver and pray I look up and hear myself say Hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey Hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey When it's black, fight back, fight back, fight back When it's black, fight back, fight back, fight back I count the seconds, the minutes, the hours I cannot move, I'm in its power The grass is turning crimson red The shaking of its massive head Shake shake shake shake shake shake shake shake Shake shake shake shake shake shake shake shake Hear its roar, hear its roar Hear its roar, hear its roar Hear its roar, hear its roar Hear its roar, hear its roar When it's black, fight back, fight back, fight back Fight back, fight back, fight back, fight back When it's black, fight back, fight back, fight back Fight back, fight back, fight back, fight back When it's black, fight back, fight back, fight back Fight back, fight back, fight back, fight back When it's black, fight back, fight back, fight back Fight back, fight back, fight back, fight back Fight back, fight back, fight back, fight back Fight back, fight back, fight back, fight back
3.
Rosie had a troubled mind Engaged to Jim, he was the murderous kind She left him at the altar and he had killed for less He buried her in her wedding dress Don’t you go there When there’s flowers on her grave Don’t you go there On her wedding day Her wedding day But Jim, in a melancholic wave Took his guitar to play at her grave ‘Twas a year to the day and remorseful Jim was found hanging by a guitar string Don’t you go there When there’s flowers on her grave Don’t you go there On her wedding day Her wedding day One year some cattle grazed near her stone The spooked wrangler passed out, fell and broke his bones He came by arms and legs tied to four of his cows One pulled east, one west, one north and one south Don’t you go there When there’s flowers on her grave Don’t you go there On her wedding day Her wedding day They once tried to dig old Rosie up To take her far away and make this thing stop Three men armed with shovels, they never came home Since then there’s four names written on her stone Don’t you go there When there’s flowers on her grave Don’t you go there Don’t you go there When there’s flowers on her grave Don’t you go there On her wedding day Her wedding day On her wedding day Her wedding day
4.
From heel to throat In his wooly coat His big eyes prying Three crows came flying He dropped his cloak The black birds spoke ‘He don’t hurt a fly And we never lie’ Look there he goes Wolf in sheep's clothes ‘Why this attire?’ I then enquired They cawed loud and shrill ‘It’s the shepherd’s will’ ‘He does get mocked But guards the flock And to perfect the deceit He’s even learned to bleat’ Look there he goes Wolf in sheep's clothes I felt a chill When they croaked thrilled ‘You smell of fear!’ Then he came near I screamed ‘get the shepherd!’ But they just shook their feathers Then under their breath ‘We only herald death’ Look there he goes Wolf in sheep's clothes
5.
Ahaaaaaaaahahaaaaaa ahaaaaaaahahaaaaaaa Ahaaaaaaaahahaaaaaa ahaaaaaaahahaaaaaaa Ahaaaahahahaaaaahahaaaaaaaaaaaa Ahaaaaaaaahahaaaaaa ahaaaaaaahahaaaaaaa Ahaaaaaaaahahaaaaaa ahaaaaaaahahaaaaaaa Ahaaaahahahaaaaahahaaaaaaaaaaaa Ahaaaahahahaaaaahahaaaaaaaaaaaa
6.
Black Dog 02:41
I saw you prowling, digging for bones Roaming, scavenging, lost and alone The sun disappeared, made way for the fog As I took you in, black dog Now, you’re a stray so I let you growl I even let you bark and howl I leave you be, let you chew your log Just don’t you bite, black dog But then you snapped and, out of tune, started howling at the moon And after that great monologue You licked my wounds, black dog I feel your breathing down my neck I can’t think straight and all goes black I shake my head. All is clogged You’re on my tail, black dog I spiked your food and your stomach turned You died and your remains I burned But I dropped smothered by the smog On all fours, black dog They found me near your ash and bones With foaming mouth I huffed and groaned Now I’m caged and take the flog I’m on your leash, black dog
7.
Forever I’ll remember The scorching fires, the heat The world glowed like ember As demons roamed the streets My ravenous thirst for power When I saw the beings raid Made me, in my finest hour Shout ‘fiend, I need your aid’ When the devil’s in town Oh, you’d better watch out When the devil’s in town Beware, there ain’t no way out A tapping at my front door And from the burning streets A shrieking ‘What is it you crave for?’ I said ‘the world at my feet!’ ‘Well I’ve got just the contract Which, by handing me your soul Will turn that wish into fact No need to read it all’ When the devil’s in town Oh, you’d better watch out When the devil’s in town Beware, there ain’t no way out The devil stood and grinned While I signed his pact in blood He said ‘Did you read the small print, my poor new demigod?’ I saw the cursed footnote When the pact further unfurled ‘Beyond all time’ and I quote ‘You’ll rule this scalded empty world’ When the devil’s in town Oh, you’d better watch out When the devil’s in town Beware, there ain’t no way out
8.
Well, how was I supposed to know that it would end this way? The die was cast, leave love and home, no I could not stay My time ran short, the days were bleak, stuck at a dead-end job I saw a snake and I was weak And that's how I ended up Alone It all started on the day I met up with this man In a business suit and with eyes that preyed, and a skin that lacked all tan He told me ‘you’ve got talent boy and I can make you big‘ He must have picked up I was coy Well you know I am a bit Slow Back home I gave you my last cheque And said ‘I am leaving now’ I wondered why you blew your stack Did I do you wrong somehow? You really laid it hard on me Growing red and pale Still I told you to wait and see and hold off on those tales Of woe Well here I was, girdled by doves, adored in every town But as time went by, the new wore off, and I lost my crown I am a passing novelty and soon to be replaced I still don’t know why I didn’t see Now I’m left here old and gray And alone I tasted the forbidden fruit And saw it all unravel The devil in a business suit is still the fucking devil
9.
Well I once had a friend who lived not far from here Who liked to drink and hunt for deer He had this shed, with a wall full of heads Where it smelled of death and beer After a brawl and too many a sip He went to his shed with a gun and some clips With breath like whisky, he woke up a grizzly It was the last of his hunting trips It was the last of his hunting trips Oh well, there you go I guess you reap what you sow What do you know You reap what you sow Minus a limb but out of the woods He took to stealing and fencing the goods He said ‘With God as my witness I run an honest business’ Ruining many a livelihood It was on a Good Friday when he was caught And one of his victims, a man of the cloth Said ‘Since God is your witness here’s for something religious’ And nailed him high on the cross Oh he nailed him high on the cross Oh well, there you go I guess you reap what you sow What do you know You reap what you sow He got married but wasn’t cut for a family life One dreary evening he took his trapping knife He gathered his booze and disappeared into the woods Left behind his poor wife Early next morning we agreed To search the woods, his wife and me We found him there, and that same wretched bear We buried them under this tree Oh, we buried them under this tree Oh well, there you go I guess you reap what you sow What do you know You reap what you sow
10.
Dolly Shot 05:52
I am my own shadow My inner demon Like a perpetual dolly shot I zoom and retreat Zoom out and come close Too close for comfort I see every detail It’s tiring me out But it is what I know I just climb these walls I slip and forget I fall and see The shark is there Circling beneath The dog is there Waiting And black Like the crows That always follow me I see a shadow On the walls that I climb The walls of my mind It’s me but it’s not I am my own shadow

about

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

'It was a need from deep inside. That's why this is so very, very good.'
- Maximum Volume Music

[...] highly atmospheric backings which might be interpreted as a long journey through a metaphysical Death Valley.'
- Lonesome Highway

Following the acclaim of his dark debut album Tales of Woe, Netherlands-based artist Silas J. Dirge explores new territory with his sophomore release The Poor Devil. And though the shadow and spookiness of Tales… haunts the background, Silas’ latest album finds its footing deep in the waters of American country music. 



These ten new compositions take a more sparse, raw direction, harkening to Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, and other outlaw heroes he’s listened to since he was young. As Silas says, “It was a natural evolution. I’ve always been into country music. I’ve listened since I was a kid...so it’s deep rooted in me. I’ve always wanted to make a country record.”


This direction dovetailed with the lyrics and stories of The Poor Devil as well. As he explains, “I had new stories that aren’t as dark as Tales of Woe. I wanted the music to match that.” Tracks like the opener “Hang Me High” and the gritty “Flowers on Her Grave,” with their raw-and-rollicking acoustic strums, would fit perfectly on the score of any classic Western film. This is country music at its finest.



Yet fans of Silas J. Dirge will find plenty of the rich musical layers on The Poor Devil they’ve come to expect. The Spaghetti-western guitar licks and atmospheric nuances ever-present on his debut are on this record as well. And his knack for macabre tales and characters still find their way onto it. The standout tune “Hear its Roar (When It’s Black)” is a perfect example of this musical and lyrical concoction that Silas has become known for. 



So as the much anticipated New Year unfolds, be sure to start it off right with this much anticipated album from a truly fascinating singer-songwriter.

- Justin Stover, Devil's Music

credits

released January 8, 2021

All music and lyrics by Jan Kooiker

Jan Kooiker: vocals on all tracks, except track 5. Acoustic guitar on all tracks. Harmonium on track 2 and 10. Organ on track 5 and 8. Piano and electric guitar on track 9. Percussion on track 2, 5, 6, 7, 9 and 10. Whistling on track 4 and 5

Harald de Ruiter: electric guitars on track 2-10

Justin Zandbergen: backing vocals on track 3, 7, 8 and 9

Nicole Schouten: backing vocals on track 2, 3 and 6 and lead on track 5

Thomas van Voorst: double bass on track 8

Jan Paul de Bondt: pedal steel on track 3

Recorded, mixed, produced by Jan Kooiker

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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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