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Before the Mountains

by Sarah Brendel

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1.
BEAT UNDERNEATH The dragon underneath Looks defeated Every mouth is shut Every image is deleted The river and the well Run dry now The twisted movement is stilled Shadow’s guilt forgotten Snow has come To make the world a foreign place To give the world a different face Only one song For everyone One song For everyone The song of the free The dragon is defeated The spirit and the bride are one The sting of death Is overcome Buried in the grave Buried in the grave Only one song For everyone One song for everyone The song of the free Snow has come To make the world a foreign place To give the world a different face To cover the trees And all the earth To stop the old heartbeat To give a new birth
2.
Think Back 03:09
THINK BACK Close your eyes Try not to speak Forget the times Of your struggling I want to fix the Troubles and the pieces Of your broken mind Think back to when you Were a child When your heart was free And you were alive In the wind and the rain Like the adventures Of mark twain And the streets That you are travelling on They lead you far away From home And you don’t know Where you’re going to And your dreams They all turned into blue This burden in your shoulder Is too heavy for you to carry And the well That you are drinking from Is a well a generation was Dying from Just keep your eyes Closed right now And think about what’s Going on If you’re living the life You want to live Or if you’re just a shadow Of your dream I sing songs of Jesus He’s waiting in the doorway He prepared a way For you and me His love has set me Captive free
3.
WHAT A HAPPY LIFE What a happy life I had so far Oh so happy I could sing The only shadow The only shadow Is the world I’m living in I’m not a ghost I’m still alive And I can see the hearts reflection How it twists and how it turns Into this and that direction What a happy life I’ve had so far Oh so happy I could sing The only shadow The only shadow Is the world I’m living in How can a blind man Lead a blind man Would not both fall to the ground How can we say we love our neighbours But reject our enemies While our sister is crying Our brother lays dying And we just sing Of an amazing grace Tell me what’s the reason For being saved If we know we know we know To think is to act
4.
BEFORE THE MOUNTAINS Before the mountains were born You brought forth the earth and the world For a thousand years in your sight Are like a day that has just gone by Or like a guard in the night From everlasting to everlasting From everlasting to everlasting You are love You sweep men away in the sleep of death They are like the new grass in the morning In the morning Though in the morning it springs up new By evening it is dry and withered You turn men back to dust You turn men back to dust Return to dust oh son of men Return to dust From everlasting to everlasting From everlasting to everlasting You are god Teach me to number my day aright That I might gain a heart of wisdom Establish the work of my hands Establish my work trough your hands
5.
DANGEROUS CITIES I still walk in these dangerous cities Sometimes heavy minded Sometimes with the blues Sometimes in despair Sometimes with no shoes But every mile with you Can you forgive me My cold dirty mind The songs I am singing With you left behind The roles I am playing The love I’m persuading You know it all Cause I don’t know anyone Don’t know anyone Under the sun I don’t know anyone Don’t know anyone Under the sun With a love like yours You’re the light unto my feet In every corner Of every street You’re the light inside This stumbling heart of mine In every ghost town Inside the dark You’re the light I’m gonna let it shine In the valley below In the mountains up high I’m on your side Before the night’s Drawing near Before we’ll disappear
6.
SNOW WHITE FIELDS If you’re driving On snow white streets Out of darkness Into the brightness of days You’ll find a man Who never done wrong Never done harm A pure hearted friend Covered in innocence If you’re driving On snow white streets Out of danger Into cities much safer You’ll find a man Never did sin Always done good The only true friend Leading you home If you’re driving On snow white fields To far far away lands Leaving your past behind Finding the morning light When the day is done And you spent too much time Trembling just lay your head Next to mine If you go back To the break of dawn Into the house where You came from Listen to the white Noise sound See the angels Coming around And the man On white winged horse He’s whispering your name
7.
TO HUNGRY LISTENERS There’s a strong wind blowing Can you hear it howling The silent night will shatter From the moon back to the sea Every heart will know its meaning Deep to deep Beat by beat Where’s the reason Where’s the rhyme Underneath this evening crime The birds are singing No more no more Do you hear The oceans roar Far above the sinking shore Thunder and lightning And on her face we rise Back and forth we slide While she is aching and breaking Tomorrow will come soon Blood will cover moon And the sun don’t shine anymore Digging deeper in the ground For the early future sound When hard rains were falling And I’ve heard the prophets voice Trough a child that cried: no more Thunder and lightning
8.
ENTER MY DOOR Stranger where do you go I will walk with you to the ocean’s shore I will walk with you Until I see you no more And I promise No one else but you will enter my door Stranger when do you go Let me walk with you til the lights grow dim Until the dust of morning Will cover the shore And your ship is seen no more Oh I promise no one but you will enter my door Waiting by the window No matter how hard the wind blows Waiting by the window No matter how far the story goes I promise no one else but you will enter this door Every other man must sleep on the floor Cause you’re the one My heart is longing for
9.
Yaweh 04:01
YAWEH Words they fail me Leave your lips Embrace me Yaweh! All our busy rushing It will end In nothing Yaweh! My oh my Oh my love is yours My oh my Oh my home is you Yaweh! Happy an those Who live in your chambers For always Gonna sing like David Gonna preach Like Paul Gonna run Like Peter Yaweh, Yaweh! My oh my Oh my heart is yours My oh my Oh my art is you
10.
HEARTUPLIFTER Hills and fields From my window I clearly see And the sun is shining Down again On me The cathedral Looks so peaceful from this sight Bells are ringing Children speaking And all the birds Are singing in tongues And I step out of the twilight And I leave my own chosen stories Which make me feel so alone And I get up on my feet again And here I stand with empty hands But I’m wide awake I’m wide awake for you Hills and fields From my window I clearly see And there’s a river And a red train slowly coming
11.
LITTLE MIRROR Little mirror shows me who I am Little mirror knows the meaning of my name Little mirror tonight you understand How it feels to be How it feels to be Without a man Little mirror knows my darkest part Little mirror reflect the intention of my heart Little mirror goes to where the river starts Please prove prepare and guide me On my way towards the sun Take the strange that blinds me 1, 2, 3 you and me Little mirror you do understand How it feels to be How it feels to be human
12.
READ YOUR MIND When I see you I can read your mind Read your mind When I see you I can read your mind The things you’ve left behind You are awake and you live and you die You are awake and you live and you die You are awake and the years go by The years go by With no one by your side When I love you let me love you more Love you more When I love you let us loose control Loose control Into worlds that we don’t know You are awake and you live and you die You are awake and you know you’ll die You are awake and your years go by Your years go by With no one by your side Are you listening To what I’m saying Are you listening To what I’m saying
13.
OUT OF SKIES I’ve been down to the south I was born up in the north I’ve been up with the clouds Been a stranger in my town I’ve been into the forest I see the headline burning My lover is returning I’ve travelled many oceans I’ve been inside America I walked into the promised land I live up on a hill now My home is in the highlands I see the headline burning My lover is returning Over mountains He climbed In the burdened misty rain Out of skies and skies He came As a servant He has given all Trough the hands Of one man The world Is driving fast No one knows How long it lasts The desert sand Comes quickly The cities can’t escape Tomorrow could be Too late I see the headlines burning My lover is returning
14.
Poets 04:21
POETS Hey all you poets All those who won’t show it Give me words to sing Hey all you ramblers All those who don’t feel love Where do we begin Give me a reason In this shivering season When the storm Is blowing low Like black birds in the willow Like dreams under my pillow Hey all you soldiers All those who feel hopeless The world is overcome Hey all you listeners My brothers my sisters I ring the bells for you Like black birds in the willow Like dreams under my pillow
15.
Speak Out 06:30
SPEAK OUT I will be silent when you speak I will lay down lose it all I will be silent when you speak I will go down to the ground I will be silent when you speak I will go down to my knees I will be silent when you speak I will bow down at your feet Only if I lose my life For your sake I’ll find it Only if I lose myself I will be free To follow you

about

The new SARAH BRENDEL album “BEFORE THE MOUNTAINS” culminates in an intensity of language you’re forced to withdraw from or succumb to. The 15 track album was produced by the songwriter herself and her friend Arno Jordan in the backyard-studio of the artist community they and their families have both made their home.
Deserting all masquerades, Sarah presents herself in her most coarse and fascinating incarnation to date. The scope of ideas from song poet BRENDEL is enormous, the album reveals facets broadly transcending the limitations of any genre, intertwining threads, connecting neo folk and country, stumbling over the roots of blues, casting a glance through the window of pop, losing herself in sound collages, and uttering a poem every step of the way.
“The dragon underneath looks defeated, every mouth is shut, every image is deleted…,“ these lines usher in her great new work, accompanied by a sombre stomping of wood panels, sawing violas, plucked metal strings, and with an imminently close, dark voice that goes back and forth between two worlds and eventually morphs from its obscure timbre to a lucid fairy-tale. The following title, “Think back”, appears surprisingly simple and empathetic, dissolving into a memory. Recorded in the archway of a castle, the castle where the singer lives.
“Think back to when you were a child when your heart was free and you were alive in the wind, in the rain, like the adventures of Marc Twain”. A booming organ and a Western guitar are the foundation of this song and seamlessly, other instruments are blended: psychedelic bells are ringing, a violin follows with haunting melodies, an electric guitar reminiscent of Calexico is breaking ground while low-country brushes beating unobtrusively hold everything together. Sarah's voice soars up – close, ever-present and deeply personal.
In “Dangerous Cities” when Sarah sings ”Cause I don´t know anyone under the sun with a love like yours” she is gripping, irrevocable. The immediateness and honesty in her voice, evocative of singers like Karen Dalton and Melanie, gives you a feel of the dense spirituality highlighted still more by the cathedral-like reverb on vocals, guitar and strings.
And like Sarah's voice, the instruments on the album sound just as free and unaffected, maybe because not only the vocals but also the drums and guitars were recorded live without overdubs.
The mixture of rough sketches and pure, unembellished beauty truly makes the album rustle. The art-work in book form emphasizes the music in every aspect and every page contains hand-written lyrics with small drawings of the photographs and paintings from the Brendel family.

BEFORE THE MOUNTAINS is a voyage of discovery to find a treasure of inexpressible worth.

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released June 30, 2012

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Sarah Brendel Dresden, Germany

Expanding and personalizing genres from Folk to Pop.

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