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The Garden

by Dan Bull

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1.
Summer Rain 04:27
Open your little door Step out into the downpour Listen to the sound your Listen to the sound your soul makes as if it's soulmates with the ground The rain falls down The ground The rain falls down to the floor The summer rain has come again The pavement sizzles like drizzling lemonade Oh, and the sunlight seems unlikely to be on my cheeks for one fine evening There's nobody else around absence has a powerful sound blades of grass are fine enough to make a scalpel proud Alka-seltzer sizzle drizzle pelts the ground I can't help myself but shout aloud to tell the crowd that while they're out, I'm out of bounds I could flee til my knees hurt feel the breeze in my t-shirt but there's so many aesthetically pleasing things here to see first The summer rain has come again The pavement sizzles like drizzling lemonade Oh, and the sunlight seems unlikely to be on my cheeks for one fine evening Flowers bob, nod and rattle under fat drops of rain big as apples and the street steams like a kettle, singing each bead a little a nettle, stinging my skin in a million different places Precipitation amidst the vegetation the British air is changing and sitting under parked cars there are kitties waiting watching me pace by I stop and then say hi The summer rain has come again The pavement sizzles like drizzling lemonade Oh, and the sunlight seems unlikely to be on my cheeks for one fine evening Could never sing, but I sang though; Dionysius air rang with the tang of a mango; delicious living in a fictitious middle English mangrove, that's been kissed with the liquid sunshine that some find in Orlando I hang under the jungle canopy catching an undiluted glimpse of clarity refracting through the prism imprisoning my sanity for all the laws we're living in anarchy causing wars, it's giving me anomy the rows of windows are frames inside a strange gallery of apathy inhabitants happily having tea Warm water colours reality washes away the banality The summer rain has come again The pavement sizzles like drizzling lemonade Oh, and the sunlight seems unlikely to be on my cheeks for one fine evening My hair is getting wetter The air is getting fresher Before the storm I'm sure I could barely bear the pressure out but it's getting better now It was one of those horribly hot days The barometer's ominous clock face was something Hieronymus Bosch paints From Shropshire to Gloucester to Warwickshire forests of conifers congregate like choristers and praise displays of flowers as a florist does Knowledge buds and blooms in the soil Olives crushed producing an oil to lubricate the mind illuminate and shine a human ray of light right through the rain tonight It just might quite save a life The summer rain has come again The pavement sizzles like drizzling lemonade Oh, and the sunlight seems unlikely to be on my cheeks for one fine evening
2.
Roots 04:27
At eight or ten I wondered why my voice wasn't breaking yet I was impatient to get from A to Z so I'd break a sweat, play cassettes in my tape deck waiting for the day I could step to a stage and get paid respect, paid a cheque maybe the other kids would even play with me then It's great to pretend the tune was written for you that's why you sing with the radio while it ignores you You perform awful but feel a lot better Boom Boom Boom, Here Come the Hotstepper Even back then my preference was funky but less funky house than House in the Country Syncopation, soul, anybody ill with it other kids had Whigfield, I was feeling Bill Withers and to this day I'm still with him because nothing beats a sweet voice on distilled rhythms I'm digging up my roots for you Cooking up a little tuneful food Come to the garden for a barbecue and chill with me Before I even saw South Park on TV I knew by heart the South Park CD GTA: 1969 opened a life long affinity for Trojan Return of Django, Skinhead Moonstomp music of Jamaican origin liberating my boom box Too young for Appetite for Destruction so The Offspring were my rock introduction That was all I needed to be free a CD with some power chords shredding like a power saw "Fuck me, wow" I thought how can plucked strings be this powerful? But then I found another source of auditory debauchery this naughty teen thought was sweet I bought a CD by an emineMC called "Hi! My Name Is Slim Shady" I played it in my hi-fi daily it never seemed to cease to amaze me He'd say some crazy things that were great for a teenager that needed danger I'd replay the lyrics amazed at the way the images would flicker in my brain so vividly An outsider, a country bumpkin sitting inside with the Outsidaz bumping There's something about rhymes nothing else quite does as well, I love it Cypress Hill: Live at the Fillmore I'm not going to lie, that film was raw Each rap I heard, each film I saw inspired me to build my skills some more so I bought more CDs to imitate Believe me, back in the day it was great I'm digging up my roots for you Set the mood and feel those soothing grooves Come to the garden for a barbecue and chill with me I had piano lessons after every last school day but my patience was thinner than an anorexic I didn't want to play ballads anyway I had a daydream of breakbeats and a pen and paper So I said I'd make the make believe real and make some real reel to reels like B-Real But the magic's made on computers today so I used Magix Music Maker Read the instructions, learnt all the book taught myself big beats like Norman Cook Always cooking up a new track though with no microphone I couldn't actually do rap That was too bad, but it wasn't too bad 'cause I'd already forgot and had a new fad Threw away The Source, bought a new mag made new mates, talked in new slang I was a punk rocker now, proper loud would you believe I grabbed any opportunity to fuck about? But what about the music? I've gone and lost it now So I grabbed a guitar and started rocking out Made a band with my mates called MatronsApron We played around, made some tapes it was great fun full of belly laughs even recieved a brief mention in the Telegraph Just a couple of kids, played a couple of gigs and then my mates moved on but fuck if I did Obviously too late, got a copy of Cubase a lot of tunes made, now it's today I've innovated, took my inspirations in and made them into an original addition to your playlist So now I meditate about how to elevate 'cause Safe was the safety net to let me levitate I'm picking my best fruit for you You're the one, and I'd like tea for two Come to the garden for a barbecue and chill with me
3.
Look, fuck buddies, I want to be fuck buddies turn up the subwoofer in the trunk and bump uglies Give me a hug please; I hold a little too long I'm coming on a little too strong You're getting blushed cheeks, so we'd better move on get a move on, I'm in above my head like a bouffant Take too long and I'm afraid you've gone and I'll have lost another lady, but gained another new song Yes, let's be friends with benefits My love life's suffering a deficit Let's be friends with benefits Friends with benefits I've never been especially eloquent I'm as elegant as an eccied elephant my etiquette is evidently ever in development but when I'm in bed then I'm in my element I promise, honest, we'll listen to some Ella Fitzgerald then we'll get it on with the leather whips The morning after the night before we caved in cavemen and cavewomen craving the fornication I'm never sure if it's safe but I'd say that it calls for some glorification Yes let's be friends with benefits because I'm ever such a clever dick Let's be friends with benefits Friends with benefits There's so much history to tip-toe around It's hard to keep afloat when the ship's going down Once we danced at the disco in town with both our hips going round I realised through seeing your eyes, it was the genesis of the end of the friends with benefits I'd been increasingly feeling affectionate It seemed that revealing my secret would get a kiss so I leaned in for the hell of it and you ripped the beating thing from my chest and then severed it You're a prejudiced, feminine supremacist nevertheless you're getting sex from your nemesis Let's not be friends with benefits because I'm ever such a clever dick Let's not be friends with benefits because we'll never hear the end of it
4.
Acknowledge 04:03
I am a bit of a difficult hypocritical prick who'll always get into a pickle, but the sins I commit are all above board; this is for everyone I've got love for who helped me up through the window by the shut doors pulled strings, untangled the web, and cut cords and if you didn't assist this, then up yours My business is to give hits to kids that have been amiss from the industry hit list This flow's for those who were bullied in school You'll grow to show those tools that they don't rule This is for those who are bullies in school You'll realise you can be nice and fully cool Some of us look back at that as the worst days Others still suffer that exact crap in the workplace From virgins that never had a first date to unwanted babies that never had a birthday This is for single moms, working three jobs to keep your sprog in the Reeboks that he wants This rap's for single dads, fighting to see their kids crying, thinking if they even understand he exists I've set the controls for the heart of the soul of those whose woes have hardly been told Too many hearts of gold are treated like pyrite so it's high time I tried to set this bias right Feeling low? My lines'll leave your hopes high as kites incite delight like a cherry bright sky at night This vocal's for locals who are frightened in their neighbourhood refrain from leaving home at night; afraid of violent raping muggers For the same buggers doing crime to pay for drugs It never meant to end this way, you're stuck; pain sucks Change looks like something that'll never happen but if I let that thinking win, I'd never end up rapping For those in prison, those who did and those who didn't the victims that they did it to and those who witnessed it For those who overcome their hopeless bitterness to show forgiveness Whether you do or don't is no-one's business For those who wish to string them up until they know their miseries Life's a winding hillside road and the slope is slippy For the people upon the picket lines Miners who down their pick and strike strive for a different life For the silent majority, tightening your waistline to prop up an economy you probably hadn't a problem with til the bottom dropped off of it but now you're picking up the tab and haven't got a tip This is for the elderly, sitting in their chairs alone or bedridden in a bug ridden nursing home This is a verse devoted to you, and who you truly are The same you that you've ever been, I've seen you shoot for the stars but gravity ravages things savagely so let my lyrics lift your spirits up from incapacity 'cause I'm the captain of this flagship actually and you're a VIP invited to fly the galaxy with me This is for the carers, looking after another I understand you want to be more than just a mother How can you have a lover, or any other life if you couldn't find someone else to come and grab the cover? Changing a duvet's much easier with two, hey? Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday For those stuck at home, chronic illness, health problems A lot of guilt makes you want to kill yourself often What little help I can offer to soften the blow? Can't invent anything off of the top of the dome but you've not been forgotten and I just want you to know wherever you are, my flow will boldly go I swear by the Father, the Son, the Holy Ghost Jehovah, Allah, Muhammad, whoever holds the most control over the souls of the unappreciated it will keep ebbing away every day that people play this shit I try to recognise those who've been left aside come aboard my enterprise, and boldly I try to recognise those who've been left aside come aboard my enterprise, and boldly
5.
Kelsey Bears 03:16
I got your cards that you bought me; ignored them because I thought calling would cause me a boredom and of course I'm ashamed to admit that every birthday wished me further away from your midst 'til I couldn't face taking the risk I guess I lost my faith a little bit but then realised a fundamental basic More than any other you encouraged me to be creative so it might be quite belated but I love you, Margaret and David The Kelsey Bears The Kelsey Bears The Kelsey Bears You were with me in my first days but then I shut myself away during my worst days aA half-baked reason why I'm worth cake but now 11 star birthday is part of my wordplay You bought me a calligraphy set I'm ashamed to say I haven't done calligraphy yet I was a little perplexed and treated it with neglect and yet now I make my living fiddling with text Some of your gifts still bring back images The little set of carved farmyard miniatures The tree was my favourite piece and it still is when I play with my niece so yeah, I've done myself a favour at least now I'm back on the rails and I'm taming the beast in a similar way to how my birthday cake did it's time for you two to be celebrated so it might be quite belated but I love you, Margaret and David The Kelsey Bears The Kelsey Bears The Kelsey Bears Photography was obviously a hobby each of you wanted me to do I never got into it properly but now I love it, kind of like a kid with broccoli My tastes took time to develop in the dark room and now I can't do without it, honestly You offered me an option and I made you feel you'd been forgotten Now the season's hot and Evesham's lost some leaves and blossoms but let's speak a little let's speak a little more often The Kelsey Bears The Kelsey Bears
6.
I'm basking in the sunlight, hi-hat sizzling Snare cracking like it's blasting in a gun fight The pattern of the drum's tight, kick pumping in your stomach something like the aftermath ofa drunk night Daft cunt, see I like music that has spunk Thrash, pop, rap, punk, Drazz-wop, jazz, funk I'm beginning a vinyl collection Thinking of buying all the decks and equipment then hitting the nightlife with a vengeance but I've got a penchant for sitting in silence Headphones hugging my noggin, I'm nodding my head to the said tones I might be flesh and bones, ut when I do a verse my vibrations disperse through the universe We can see the frequency, percieve them through the channels I need a deeper feeling please, leave me with the ammo White noise, clean my teeth, weaken the enamel Street life's a squeeze like a needle to a camel Please, I would leave in peace, retreating with the mammals While leaves of trees are green at least, creeping in my camo but a bee could see through these with ease, keys of a piano Basked in light from black to white, from BC to Anno Domini (Beit Nun) There's no questioning Ben as an artist My musical palette's not like yours so the same brush I'll never be tarred with I'm a sucker for a Hendrix guitar lick but not a purist though, Kendrick Lamar's sick Mate, head to the bar quick and fetch me a large drink I'm ready to get this cigar lit Beer garden, start a party for the neighbours like No sympathy, Marley and the Wailers, a Bacardi with a chaser It's getting late so it's time to slip something a little harder in the shaker Bit of Marvin on the playlist, then The Temptations followed by Smokey Robinson, we marvel at the greatness I'm Syd Barrett on Interstellar Overdrive I'm John Bonham in a hotel on a motorbike I'm Ray Davis on a sunny afternoon I'm Ian Curtis, I'm John Lennon, Bob Dylan and Keith Moon Music helped me get through all I've been through When just me, you, and the beat loop, how can I feel blue? I've got videos and photographs if you need proof I've lived, though I gave my plot away in the theme tune Beit Nun up in your iPod docking station Feel free to get up and leave if you're not relating but if you are, take a seat, I'm down for the long awaited conversation two bonding strangers have when they're off their faces
7.
Seven days of the week my brain's at it's peak That's the payback you reap from being a blatant geek but don't watch the way that I speak, listen to the lyrics then maybe you'll see why so many people feel it My speech is lethal, meaning feeble people fear it but if you fear it maybe you need to re-hear it I talk about what other lyricists are scared to I tackle issues you wish you could dare to And fair do's if you're sticking to the horrorcore but don't go moaning that nobody's wanting more Sitting on bean bags listening to weed rap bitching that the kids would rather hear Relapse Don't you see that you're missing the point? 'cause no-one gives a shit what you stick in your joint so if you're disappointed then learn a lesson Convert to better methods and then heads'll yearn for seconds We don't bum your shit so come up with something better than it When you're the only one to bum your shit then come up with something better than it (Joey Gzus) Look, mmm, I've got to be real There's not a lot of rappers out here that I honestly feel You see me, I'd bite your hand off if you offered a deal 'cause I've got kids that need warm water and a quality meal For real, I pride myself on being versatile Like my hooks Auto-Tuned, still keep the verses wild So if you don't like me singing on my hooks then don't listen - the fact is, I couldn't give a... Look, they're acting like they're Premier League Forced multi-syllabics over knock-off Premier beats In a scene where everybody seems to be next in the scene and the need to be credible is becoming incredibly weak Gzus, let's keep it moving 'cause for people to feel your music you need improvement like live shows where you get your respect They're like trapeze acts 'cause their life depends on the net Joey We don't bum your shit so come up with something better than it When you're the only one to bum your shit then come up with something better than it Too many rappers just rap about rap There's a whole world out there, rap about that What happens now is a matter of fact so if you want to keep it real, put that on a track I stand back to back with novelists and poets activists, journalists, and those that show it's an ugly world out there, when it should be beautiful but if beauty is truth, then I stay true to form Who'd have thought the class clown would back down into the background and lay some fat tracks down? I stand proud behind what I believe and what I believe is I can't believe what I've achieved Every step of the way I get better but nevertheless I make it my aim to elevate every day No matter what it takes it's worth paying the price 'cause the day you stop learning is the day you die
8.
Wisdom Teeth 03:14
My wisdom teeth are causing me trouble forming a huddle in the back of my mouth and now to talk is a struggle so I trade the punchlines for more of a subtle approach and just hope you decode more than all of the puzzle 'cause of course I've gone pop, I wasn't born in a bubble Fuck my kingdom for a horse, I'd give my horse for a cuddle and I'm bored of all the posturing a lot of hip hoppers bring Sincerity's like love: it doesn't cost a thing So always check the pocket of your jeans before you set the rinse on the washing machine Buy a stack of birthday cards and presents so you can use them in the event that you forget them then throw away fifty things you haven't used lately Ideally you'd only keep what you use daily Make the phone call that you've been putting off for months It's a load off your mind and you'll be done in time for lunch Pull out my wisdom teeth to give to each of you who never will admit defeat and I think I'll be A-OK if I live to see the day my wisdom teeth decay Pull out my wisdom teeth to give to each of you who never will admit defeat and I think I'll be A-OK Yeah, I'll be A-OK I see and hear quotes everywhere Proverbs and advice from experts, sages and inspirational figures but it's not particularly useful in comparison to the wisdom I've acquired simply through living my day to day, mundane life and with these abilities, I'm on a Steve Miller steez We hear so much deep advice philosophical insight on the way we should lead our lives but you don't really need to be Jesus Christ just read between the lines and then you'll be just fine You don't need a preacher to teach or guide you through the maze, each day leads you deep inside so keep an eye out, see the lighthouse watch for the rocks and just reach for high ground Patiently wait for the breeze to die down Now I believe that we need a lie down so I relax in the dentist's massive chair puffing on a heady mix of gas and air The psychedelicism's elegance is evident as black satin patterns pass and past passions flare Yeah, and now there's plasma everywhere Pull out my wisdom teeth to give to each of you who never will admit defeat and I think I'll be A-OK if I live to see the day my wisdom teeth decay Pull out my wisdom teeth to give to each of you who never will admit defeat and I think I'll be A-OK Yeah, I'll be A-OK
9.
There's a delicate line between a friend and something else and I've never been quite sure how to tell Heard words that weren't there in your body language As a buddy I thought I had an advantage I knew you, you knew me and I briefly believed in the power of magic Seeing you smile was the ultimate pleasure Fishing for compliments, I was hunting for treasure Summoned to heaven, platonic love becoming untethered The way you'd comfort me when under the weather and how we'd cuddle together under your umbrella You must think I'm such a dumb fellow I'd have done better leaving it alone even if I'd known we were going to grow; be with different folks I was going to plant a seed and let it grow free then an oak tree develops slowly Now the leaves on my future family tree are fruits imaginary and I'm so lonely Oh, me... There's a delicate line between a friend and something else and I've never been quite sure how to tell Tighten up your bowtie 'cause guys in your position don't cry Do not be be frightened - really you won't die Your deeds and writings reveal you: both sides Lighting up on the roadside Driving over the strobe light It's the rise of defiant Dan; I'm a quiet man but still spent time inside in a riot van Blindsided without the benefit of hindsight my eyes were as wide as a frying pan You might summise I'm devising a higher plan Redesigning my life with an iron hand It's now or never I've got to pull myself together Can't waste days staying in the house forever Come out to the desert now there's a westerly breeze Please, I need help with the zephyr You could knock me down with a feather but I'll still be grinning with the mouth of a Cheshire My last album was a hell of an effort Daniel wrote the manual on how to endeavour and if ever there was a doubt that I'm clever it's down to the fact that my talent's without measure I've found treasure now my business is pleasure I can infinitely tessellate my lyrics at leisure and any way you spin it, it just gets fresher an intricately illustrating MC... Escher The quiet viking is how I'm known, I I'm strident in style, although shy and I don't even know why so I'm either enlightened or I'm just so high I can see the lighting upon the roadside driving over the strobe light The quiet viking The quiet viking
10.
I'm back in this habit the tobacconist grabbing a packet of fags and passing it back as I hand him the cash the transaction is tragic A moment of magic as I open the packet and go for the wrapping In only a moment I'll have this fag lit The sad fact is I'm an addict, I need the hit of nicotine, just to breathe and it's obscene Just between us, as a kid, I disbelieved a brittle leaf mixed with heat could leave you feeling incomplete without it so blow the smoke out quick You'll feel terrible However, you will have achieved something incredible This is my last cigarette I've done enough that I have to regret This is my last cigarette I've done enough that I have to regret Bringing a whole different sting to the thing you hold in your fingers They're stained since you imitated the behaviour of your favourite singer I know you stroll to the cinema and your role model's holding a Marlboro The image is vivid and so you're sold the whole 'til your soul is a prisoner moulded in miniature rolled in a Rizla held in a wrestling hold 'til the finisher You're choked out, so blow the smoke out No doubt: self-control's what's killing you This is my last cigarette I've done enough that I have to regret This is my last cigarette I've done enough that I have to regret This is my last cigarette I've done enough I have to regret without gasping for breath, asking for death in return for the active effects As many a heroin addict has said it's addictive as smack, you'd be daft to inject Skip the needle and the needle skips as I tap my fag, let the ash hit the deck Stood on the back step in the rain and never complain 'til my fag's wet Splashed out, cashing the cheque Ash, ground; ground, ash; have you met? This is my last cigarette I've done enough that I have to regret This is my last cigarette I've done enough that I have to regret I stub the nub Enough's enough, I'm good I would gladly have another fag, see but the fact is I'm done It's off my chest and I'm impressed with my willpower, nothing less Face my face at 88 miles an hour Time travelling as my life expectancy expands and I feel like a younger man You need to fight the hunger, Dan You're done; you can I can I am. This is my last cigarette I've done enough I have to regret This is my last cigarette I've done enough I have to regret This is my last cigarette I've done enough I have to regret This is my last cigarette I've done enough that I have to regret
11.
Rise 03:11
I bring the beat to life Speak my mind People take a peek inside Believe I'm nice Hear me defy thee to even find an MC as deep as I A decent guy Sweet as a piece of pecan pie When he combines beats and rhymes even blind people might see the light beaming bright either side gleaming like streets at night so seek and ye shall find peace of mind deep inside No need to read the fine lined print or reason why Don't even try Ask me and I will be your guide Lead you by the hand and you will see the sights Feel a vibe tease your spine and leave you feeling fine You'll be excited to be alive From calves, knees and thighs to heartbeats and minds We can lead a life of peace and kindness or we can fight, just Rise until the sun's in your eyes Rise until the sun's in your eyes Rise until the sun's in your eyes Rise until the sun's in your eyes My eagle eye will read between the lines and see the lies these decievers write They cynically decide the things you need to buy and then repeat the cycle until the people all believe it's right We need to realise it's free to be polite and treat a being like he or she is being equalised Don't know why we demonise and penalise effectively illegalize genotypes What happened to being nice? to each and every being we see alive Treat them right That's why me I keep on trying to lead a vegan life though cheese is nice We eat the seasons, spices denying the beast beneath has rights 'cause keeping meat inside us is a sign that here lies a survivor, no need to read the rites We succeeded quite well enough, it's tough enough to put the greed aside Even I let ego stride in and feed my pride but if we can rise above conceit and fight for love, then we can climb the peaks, til finally goodbye From our teeth and eyes to heartbeats and minds you've seen us lead a life of peace and kindness Get off your seat and Rise until the sun's in your eyes Rise until the sun's in your eyes Rise until the sun's in your eyes Rise until the sun's in your eyes
12.
Can't seem to find the words but I'll try I can't seem to find the words but I'll try The words never seem to come Is it me? Is it something that I've done? Is it me? Is it something that I've done? Please let me know Please, will you let me know?

about

YouTube's geek rap star Dan Bull invites you to escape your screen for a while and chill out with him in The Garden in the heart of England. Conversation, food and soulful music will be provided. Bring your own beer.

Dan's third album The Garden, is a mellow blend of soulful hip-hop, thought-provoking lyrics, and catchy hooks. The album is presented as an idealised barbecue party in the midst of a lush British heatwave, and celebrates such topics as friends, family, classic pop music, vintage motor cars, and free love.

Dan Bull's music videos have 100 million combined views on YouTube and he is known worldwide for his peculiar blend of adorkable Englishness and blistering hip hop lyricism.

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released August 31, 2014

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Dan Bull Bromsgrove, UK

Dan Bull is a man who says words in pleasing patterns. You can listen to them here, and on YouTube. This sentence is about guns, in order to make this biography more interesting.

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