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Behold the Bitter Monument

by The Diving Bell

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    The Diving Bell's debut EP, in physical form. A CD in a sleeve, with artwork by Nina Bell.

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1.
When I was young and brave I sailed with the crew of the Whiskey Jane South and south and south It got warm, then cold again To the edge of the map and farther We sailed through waters fierce and fair To wonders that lay beyond us To be the first ones there We came, we conquered The wild frontier We asked and answered Every question there Til there were no more She had a Pontiac like a pirate ship Bent on risk and ill-gotten gain South and south and south To the coast, in a torrid rain We sent men into orbit Then got bored and brought them home The west is won and settled There are no more unknowns bridge: ‘Twas the dead of night and winter When the wind began to whisper There were lights beneath the water And a song So much yet to prove But nothing to explore
2.
Your heart is a muscle that can’t break That’s just an excuse indulgent people like to make The heart can atrophy; you can get heart disease But it doesn’t snap, it’s more a fade I’ll go get us drinks they make by hand It’s a long, strange show and you should come and stand But you’re on your phone; you’d rather be alone I will watch you watch the DJ spin The tender heart softly weeps The bold heart burns, its soul ablaze But hearts can’t break I want to burn your clothes and car I want you close here in my arms But hearts don’t break Your heart is an organ that you play It’s an instrument without much tact or subtlety When I feel your breath along my face and neck There is power and energy
3.
We sailed the first great submarine Sank down in that dark machine, oh yeah We dove where no one had before Breathing on the ocean floor, oh yeah Saw the bottom of the world It was empty, it was cold We set the craft ashore Stood there like the fools we were, oh yeah Like the fools we were The violent will of technology Transcends every boundary, oh yeah The bright blue sea turns violet and then black Seven fathoms deep Yet we dove to harvest pearls And found a barren reef So you can build the first great submarine And still a failure be Still a failure be Julius, the engineer Poured the rum and built the fire, oh yeah The ocean is vain and she is cruel And loath to suffer fools We passed the bottle and we sang For history and for shame Behold the bitter monument and Mourn the deepest diver, spent The bitter monument The men all went their separate ways Mostly back home to the states, so yeah ‘Til just the engineer remained Where his heart and vessel lay, so yeah At the low tide, he would meet her There along the shore And the wind would echo forth The beauty of her form and force, oh yeah Of her form and force That was 1869 In spring 2001 They found her crusted through with pearls And heard her quiet song Heard her song
4.
Wake Up 04:39
Lay your head like a weary soldier Leave it there resting on my shoulder Listen to the sound of the music playing Listen to the music if your heart is breaking Wake up, wake up and rise, my dreamer I’ll stay close beside you till the last day If you fade, If you fade I will bring you back If you fade, If you fade I will bring you back Requiem’s dark bells just clatter The resonance of death is shattered Truth like fire will never falter Transcends the tongue of the ancient liar Put a penny over your eyes, love With a prayer-tipped tongue I will sing you home
5.
It was the Holy Roman Empire’s final afternoon The waning Caesar leaned against his golden throne He saw the seven hills and seven seas and Issued one final decree A survey given all of Rome I hope you’ve enjoyed your time here Please rate it on a scale of one to five here Five is highest, so you’ll please say five here Please say five, please say five Please say five for me The Visigoths, in stupid uniforms, lined up at the gates They were just violent, no refinement or good taste That’s when Caesar wept, ‘cause Caesar knew Sometimes that’s all you can do For the hour was getting late We’re fading like the Holy Roman Empire I wish I would have held you closer I wish I’d kept more so I could remember Remember you, remember you Please remember me bridge We were glorious, powerful We were fortunate, beautiful We were fearless and invincible We were careless and corruptible What we had was lost in fire Like the Holy Roman Empire A star was shining over Bethlehem and everybody’s bags and mules Were packed and they were bound for Christendom Caesar tried to take the high road so He said, ‘That’s cool, you’re moving on— But hell if we didn’t have some times!' Now sing for Rome
6.
You can’t talk your way out of The belly of the beast you love Whether you believe it She knows you don’t mean it Keeps you safe and warm Nor will you change her ways That’s the nature of the beast you crave She’s a lonely rider Not a holy martyr That’s just what she says The beauty of the beast is The master of the feast is The office of the priest is you All at once you feel it All your songs reveal it Still her arms conceal it Inside of The belly of the beast you love You know the beast will get that look again And who will bear your burden then? She’s your creation Dark addiction Deep within

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The Diving Bell's debut EP

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released November 18, 2014

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The Diving Bell Chicago, Illinois

The Diving Bell is named after a proto-submarine that sailed near Panama in 1869 was left to rust there. Behold the Bitter Monument tracks its journey of exploration, invention, discovery, regret and redemption.

The Diving Bell debuted in early 2014 and has performed on WGN Radio, and at venues such as Lincoln Hall and House of Blues.
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