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The Exciseman

from Dance of the Mummers by Platitude Queen

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about

"The Exciseman" is a song about the response of marginalised working classes to being disenfranchised by a capitalist system, taking elements from both modern and archaic examples, including but not limited to, miners' strikes across the UK, consumerism as cultural capital, and the story of the Cragg Vale Coiners.

For more information on the Cragg Vale Coiners, I urge you to read The Gallows Pole by Ben Myers.

lyrics

~~~~~~~~~~

Malkins on the moor, dancing, hands and feet aflame.
Stag men on the moor, dancing in eternal circles.
Alchemist on the moor, dancing in the skillet.
Killing me.

Her fiancée reckons it’s a nice problem to have.
What is right and horrible, my waters move my bones.
No-one died apart from those who did, well it’s what they would have wanted.
She talks about sunk costs, I’m at a loss.
In this competitive marketplace, how do we source the funds for vinyl stickers that say “Live Love Laugh"?

It’s bad enough here.
It’s bad enough here for me.
Is that right enough, pal?
That’s quite enough now from me.

Samhain squeezes in, the darker half is here, throat slit ear to ear.
What is right and horrible, so horrible, the coins that built this home.
No-one left apart from those who died, well what’s wrong with the coward’s way out?
She talks about how the lack of an altruistic and compassionate form of management will invariably lead to industry standards well below acceptable levels.

It’s bad enough here.
It’s bad enough here for me.
Is that right enough, pal?
That’s quite enough now from me.

I’ve blackened fingers, I’ve got some savings.
Never left him, metal shavings.
Cheers yourself up, the devil’s waiting.
I’ve blackened lungs too, and it’s still raining, and it’s still raining here.

Malkins on the moor, dancing, hands and feet aflame.
Stag men on the moor, dancing in eternal circles.
Alchemist on the moor, dancing in the skillet.
Killing me.

Will I see my son?
Devil's in the detail, stag men say "No".
Has the end begun?
Devil's in the inn, try to keep your head low.
Can I die before the setting of the sun?
Devil was with you after all.

Here she lies, here she lies, a hard worker, it’s true

Malkins on the moor, dancing, hands and feet aflame.
Stag men on the moor, dancing in eternal circles.
Alchemist on the moor, dancing in the skillet.
Killing me.

~~~~~~~~~~

credits

from Dance of the Mummers, released June 3, 2020
Music and words by Platitude Queen.

Mixed by J. S. Gordon.

Mastered by Matthew Deamer at Glide Studio in Leeds www.glidestudio.co.uk

Artwork by J. S. Gordon

Information and inspiration on the Cragg Vale Coiners found in The Gallows Pole by Ben Myers.

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Platitude Queen Stockton On Tees, UK

Platitude Queen is a folk project by Teesside based musician and certified daft apeth J. S. Gordon (formerly based in Leeds).

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