We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.
/

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      £1 GBP  or more

     

  • Buy the Full Digital Album

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    CD album printed on card digifile and beautifully designed by artist Martin D Hyde.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Broadcast The Secret Verse via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 10 days

      £10.50 GBP or more 

     

  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    The new album pressed on 12” black vinyl in card sleeve beautifully designed by artists Martin D Hyde.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Broadcast The Secret Verse via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 10 days

      £22 GBP or more 

     

  • Full Digital Discography

    9
    releases

    Get all 9 Chris Cleverley releases available on Bandcamp and save 15%.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of The Centre Cannot Hold (Live), Broadcast The Secret Verse, Nausea (Radio Edit), Still Life, Chlorophyll, Live From The Glass Isle, We Sat Back and Watched it Unfold, Ring O' Bells feat. Kelly Oliver, and 1 more. , and , .

    Purchasable with gift card

      £31.45 GBP or more (15% OFF)

     

lyrics

This is just life imitating art,
So you can call me a fucking mess
And tear out my heart.
But junk bond empires burst apart,
So you can bring out your dead,
And load them on a cart.

The last tree stands in a purifying tank,
Centre of Times Square.
In the remnants of the billboard screens,
A dead American dream.
Faint scream from the crossroads of the world,
As the sunset sinks behind
A hollowed-out skyline.

This is just life imitating art,
So you can call me a sorry mess
And pray for my sorry heart.
But junk bond futures are doomed to implode,
So you can bring out your dead and leave them for the carrion crows.

The last dove sealed in formaldehyde,
I’m old enough to remember how it was;
To swallow the acidic taste of my pride.
The cold wars, the grain stores,
The rain showers, the dust clouds,
The crowds bursting through the barricades.

This is just life.
This still life.

But don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying I’m any less to blame
Than him, than her;
Wide eyes, screaming into a void for an answer.
So it’s back into the sea, for the next hundred, million years,
‘Til the universe sees fit for us
To crawl back out again on our knees.

This is just life imitating art,
So shoot me in the head
Before it gets a chance to start.
Trade my future, carve it apart,
And you can drain out the blood,
Left in my beating heart.

credits

from Broadcast The Secret Verse, released November 4, 2022
Chris Cleverley - Vocals, Electric Guitar, Piano, Synths, Programming
John Patrick Ellliot - Piano, Synths, Programming
Lukas Drinkwater - Bass
Rob Pemberton - Drums
Kathy Pilkinton - Vocals
Graham Coe - Cello

Engineered, produced and mixed by John Patrick Elliott

Mastered by Tim Debney at Fluid Mastering

Artwork by Martin D Hyde

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Chris Cleverley image

Chris Cleverley Birmingham, UK

Chris Cleverley was born under a solstice moon, in an aura of honeysuckle mysticism. He is among a new wave of pioneering artists carving an uncharted path through the UK acoustic landscape. Inspired by the Lo-FI Indie greats Elliott Smith & Sufjan Stevens, his ambient Dream-Folk songwriting pushes the boundaries and shatters the expectations of 21st Century acoustic music. ... more

shows

contact / help

Contact Chris Cleverley

Streaming and
Download help

Shipping and returns

Redeem code

Report this track or account

Chris Cleverley recommends:

If you like Chris Cleverley, you may also like:

Bandcamp Daily  your guide to the world of Bandcamp

On Bandcamp Radio

Featuring Riley Pinkerton (aka The Rat Queen) from the theatrical NYC rockers, Castle Rat.
listen now