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Cuckoo Heart

by Zig Zag Birds

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1.
Reverture 00:51
2.
It wasn't much A single touch But now we're here it's very clear You made your mark There in the dark Guess you could say that I'm the prey And you're the shark So much more than simple attraction It feels so good, there must be a catch and you've caught me (Hook) One look and you reel me in with your (Line) Sweet talk and you walk my way, now I'm (Sinker) Down deep in your quicksand, soon I'll be Hook, line & sinker for you girl I couldn't wait I took the bait But all the same I'm not ashamed You fool me once You fool me twice I can't complain because this pain is paradise So much more than simple attraction It feels so good, there must be a catch and you've caught me (Hook) One look and you reel me in with your (Line) Sweet talk and you walk my way, now I'm (Sinker) Down deep in your quicksand, soon I'll be Hook, line & sinker for you girl
3.
Grown-Ups 05:04
Today at school Tommy saw a girl he'd never seen before In assembly hall He spotted all he'd ever need at all As she sat in the second row The bell at half nine Well it chimed with his kite-high popping cuckoo heart And in the lunchtime queue Well that was when he absolutely knew that she'd be the one for him All afternoon he'd try to catch her eye But she never looked his way No matter how he stared or how loud he sighed Seemed it wouldn't be his day Grown-ups know what to say to turn pretty heads their way 'Cause grown-ups don't get shy They know how to take the pain and the stomach-ache of love So when will I? The weeks went by There was no magic trick that he would not try He'd whistle a tune So beautiful you'd struggle not to swoon But a little too quietly And poems stuffed inside his classroom drawer Filled with words he would not say Lonely weekends behind a bedroom door Countless evenings dreamed away Grown-ups know what to say to turn pretty heads their way 'Cause grown-ups don't get shy They know how to take the pain and the stomach-ache of love So when will I? Tommy one day school will be far behind You'll have letters after your name And though you're older you'll be surprised to find The song you're singing's still the same Grown-ups know what to say to turn pretty heads their way 'Cause grown-ups don't get shy They know how to take the pain and the stomach-ache of love So when will I?
4.
They said: better to dip your toe Only a fool would jump, but here I go Ready to take the plunge They said: better to wait your turn Love is a waiting game, so watch and learn But I play by another book I don't need to wait and see I know I've found the girl for me They said: better to bide your time Time is in short supply, I'm in my prime And I'm ready to make mistakes They said: play it cool, play safe, play subtle Take a deep breath and count to ten So I offer these dozen words of rebuttal: If not here, where? If not us, who? If not now, when? [solos] I don't need to wait and see I know I've found the girl for me They said: better to bide your time Time is in short supply, I'm in my prime And I'm ready to make mistakes Here I stand like Joseph Cotten Watching the girl go by again It's the blink of an eye between ripe and rotten So if not here, where? If not us, who? If not now, when? Better to dip your toe Only a fool would jump, so here I go Ready to take the plunge...
5.
As we made a home of your bed Floating on a sea of sheets Bedding creases lap our feet As we made a home of your bed We dreamed a dream of you and me We dreamed of kids, of two or three Then you said: nothing lasts forever Can you name me a thing that doesn't die? So I agreed and said goodnight, I'll see you in the morning sweetie pie Ooh... As we cooked up a storm in your kitchen We chopped and beat and whisked and fried I dropped the eggs, but at least I tried As we cooked up a storm in your kitchen We talked of when we'd buy a place With extra space for just in case But you said: nothing lasts forever Can you name me a food that doesn't spoil? So I agree, bon appetit And do you think this needs more olive oil? Ooh... Since we've been making plans for two I'm just planning on waking up with you
6.
Shame On Me 03:21
You never write, you never call You never gave me much encouragement at all I never learn, I never learn Counting on you is like counting the sand Nothing to do but watch it trickle through your hand I should've known, I should've known Shame on me For hanging around at the scene of the crime Shame on me For letting you let me down a second time Once was enough, twice is a joke How do you turn a dream into a puff of smoke? I wish I knew, I wish I knew But you always were bad for my health Now I've got no-one left to blame except myself When will I learn, when will I learn? Shame on me... All my great expectations I'm a fool to put them on you You've been trying my patience Now it's time to try someone new Shame on me...
7.
Do you remember when we walked along the canal that runs down to Mile End? Do you remember then we danced around Victoria Park 'til 2am? And in the pouring rain you kissed my lips and we got drunk on cheap wine Well do you think about the time? Because I think about it still Sometimes, sometimes, sometimes, sometimes Oh, in the London summer rain I think about the time and you, ah Do you think of me when you're in Whitechapel on a rainy day? Do you think of me as the one who got away? And do you think of how in London Fields I was yours and you were mine? Well do you think about the time? Because I think about it still Sometimes, sometimes, sometimes, sometimes Oh, in the London summer rain I think about the time and you, ah And if you'd like to see me You'll find me out here in this pouring rain And when the winter freezes you I'll keep you warm, I'll be your old flame Do you forgive me now? I know I turned your world a darker shade of blue I should be careful what I wish for, now I can't stop dreaming of you But when this London summer rain falls down I find you're always on mind Well do you think about the time? Because I think about it still Sometimes, sometimes, sometimes, sometimes Oh, in the London summer rain I think about the time and you, ah
8.
Oh, mind how you go Throwing your heart around I've known your kind of heart And it's easier lost than found We stole over the line Wheels roll at a quarter to nine And you say I should care less If I could care less I wouldn't be in this mess, would I? Oh, mind how you go Wishing on space debris It won't do, fixing your hopes On faulty astronomy Tall tales fill the small hours The sweetest talk soon enough sours And you say I should care less If I could care less I wouldn't be in this mess, would I? If I had a penny For each and any time I thought of you I'd buy us a piece of the moon If you felt the same we could find the flame That came so suddenly between us And left too soon And you say I should care less If I could care less I wouldn't be in this mess, would I? Oh, mind how you go Throwing your heart around
9.
You’ve been hiding there in plain sight Never knew I knew It was always you Old acquaintance in a new light Counting down from ten Bells rang out and then Sparks flew Red, yellow, blue Watching the numbers change Suddenly we’re two strangers In a New Year’s kiss Fireworks fade like resolutions Would we burn so bright Any other night? No good jumping to conclusions All I know for sure I could go for more Sparks flew... What’s done is done And que sera sera Let the champagne fizz It is what it is We are whatever we are Sparks flew...
10.
Now and then I find twenty questions on my mind Questions for my love that really show how I feel Did he kiss like me? Did he see what I can see? Did he thank his lucky stars when love was real? Darling, stop me there, just forget I even care Can't we just pretend our love is new? Answer me and I'll give my heart to you Did he make you smile? Was it perfect for a while? Was he good, and was he kind, and did he make you feel all right? Did he even say that he loved you every day? Do you ever think of what he said to you at night? Darling, stop me there, just forget I even care Can't we just pretend our love is new? Answer me and I'll give my heart to you Are these just the questions of a foolish mind You've already told me the answers a thousand times Am I going round in circles, am I that blind? Asking you over and over again... On lonely evenings in, do you sometimes think of him? Do you think about the good times, do you think about the bad? Do you ever secretly think of him instead of me? Do you think of all the things you've lost and what you could've had? Darling, stop me there, 'cause you know I really care Can't we just pretend our love is new? Answer me, that's all I ask of you
11.
Each Time 04:05
So once we may have said Let's dip our toes, see how it goes Cards to our chest That would be best Once you may have said I'm in my prime, it's not the time Holding our hands Over lines in the sand But the stars in my eyes when I see you An ever new prize when you look back at me You say what a shame But it can't stay the same We're snowballing out of control Well I remember when I said It's still too soon to play that tune And feeling alright To live for tonight And I remember when you said You've had a taste, what's with the haste I'm saving some room For tomorrow's new moon But the stars in my eyes when I see you An ever new prize when you look back at me you Say what a shame But it can't stay the same We're snowballing out of control And each time I think My love's grown up To stretch from sky to floor And each time I feel My love's full up It grows a little more Well your mama may have said Just give it space, slow down the pace There's door after door Of a world to explore And my daddy may have said Go slow my son, you're still too young There's plenty to life That don't need a wife But the stars in my eyes when I see you An ever new prize when you look back at me you Say what a shame But it can't stay the same We're snowballing out of control And each time I think My love's grown up To stretch from sky to floor And each time I feel My love's full up It grows a little more I can't tell you how but I can tell you now It does, I'm sure.

about

This full-length debut puts an original spin on classic sunshine pop. With lush harmonies and irresistible hooks, London-based Zig Zag Birds take the listener to a technicolor world that is sweet and sour, silly and sincere, nostalgic and fresh.

credits

released May 26, 2017

Zig Zag Birds are:
Woody Lewenstein, David Rael, Edward Randell
vocals, guitars, bass, keys, cello

with:
Mattis Moviken – drums
Simon Marsh – saxes, flute, clarinet
Thom Hewitt – trumpet
Raph Clarkson – trombone
Claire Bisdorff – violin
Edmund Jones – viola

All tracks written, arranged and produced by Zig Zag Birds
Recorded and mixed in London by David Rael and Edward Randell
Mastered in Milpitas, California by Bill Hare
Bird art by Emma Sheehy

℗ and © 2017. The copyright in this sound recording is owned by Zig Zag Birds. All rights reserved.

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about

Zig Zag Birds London, UK

With one foot in the sun-soaked Sixties, and the other in the do-it-yourself YouTube generation, Zig Zag Birds began as an experiment and quickly got out of hand. London's David Rael, Edward Randell and Woody Lewenstein write fun, infectious original songs with a nod to days of old. The result is a downright irresistible sound, packed with lush harmonies, bouncy brass and endlessly hummable tunes. ... more

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