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.

We Shall Not Flag or Fail, We Shall Go On To The End

by Geoff Berner

supported by
Fellow Traveler
Fellow Traveler thumbnail
loresme
loresme thumbnail
khaverim
khaverim thumbnail
Andrew Godsalve
Andrew Godsalve thumbnail
Frandroid Atreides
Frandroid Atreides thumbnail
diabolist
diabolist thumbnail
asemczyszyn
asemczyszyn thumbnail
babswillson
babswillson thumbnail
halmc-bandcamp
halmc-bandcamp thumbnail
tioloco
tioloco thumbnail
london77s
london77s thumbnail
bigfellavella
bigfellavella thumbnail
doyle33
doyle33 thumbnail
derek case
derek case thumbnail
Igor Ermakov
Igor Ermakov thumbnail
/

  • Streaming + Download

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

      $10 CAD  or more

     

1.
Volcano God 03:59
lyrics
buy track
Every song is a kind of prayer Every prayer is a kind of advertising jingle Every jingle is a kind of epitaph Song-prayer to the Volcano God. They say he has an invisible hand That builds up the wealth of nations But the hand that I see every day Takes away 'til nothing good remains. Volcano God, Volcano God Which one of my treasures will you take from me today? Volcano God, Volcano God Praise you with my screams as I watch them fall away. And when Spartacus was up on the cross I betcha he had no illusions What he was an advertisement for As he sang his last song-prayer: Volcano God, Volcano God Which one of my treasures will you take from me today? Volcano God, Volcano God Praise you with my screams as I watch them fall away. Volcano God, Volcano God Your appetite grows stronger with each morsel that you're fed Volcano God, Volcano God Praise you with my screams 'til you decide to make me dead.
2.
Clown and Bard 04:14
lyrics
buy track
Her Grandfather opened the trust fund In a Baltimore account But she was six months in the Paris of the Eastern Bloc By the time it ran out Oh well I met her in a filthy basement where a fat man ran the bar She said "If you're gonna drink that green stuff you've got to light it on fire." Guess she knew me pretty well Despite the question that I ducked She said "You'll like it here Prague's like Disneyland for the terminally fucked." But it don't fool me 'cause I can see All this beauty's just a trap set to kill Then she grabbed my hand tight said "Let me show you the light from the top of the castle hill.' I don't know why I find leaving so hard And I'm so down Hanging around at the Clown and Bard. Well the water in the river's as dirty as the cops But it shines so pretty at night But when I held her head as she puked absinthe off the Charles Bridge It was a tender and a glamorous sight We kept up the charade just as long as we could Till I had to get back in the van She said "I'd like to come with ya' but I'm saving up for Baltimore as soon as I can." And I'm so down Hanging around at the Clown and Bard. When I got back into town she wasn't hard to track down Though they'd moved her down a couple of floors Cold and half dead on the unmade bed Trying to squeeze the speed out through her pores I offered to buy her a one-way back stateside But I cried, begged, pleaded in vain She said "I don't think that I have an urge to die. I really just can't explain" I don't know why I find leaving so hard And I'm so down Hanging around at the Clown and Bard And I'm so down Hanging around at the Clown and Bard
3.
We All Gotta Be a Prostitute Sometimes 03:39
lyrics
buy track
A lot people think that I'm a lousy no-good bastard They sensitive enough to realize Just how bad I needed that money - yeah I don't want to go into it - just want to emphasize That I don't feel bad that I did it No I don't feel bad that I did it I don't have to cringe when the dinner bell chimes Because we all gotta be a prostitute sometimes We all gotta be a prostitute sometimes I know that last verse probably didn't convince you Not to judge me so I just want to let you know When you come round with a tear stained face and scuffed up knees I'm not a gloating man and so... I won't make you feel bad that you did it No I won't make you feel bad that you did it You can give me your shame - I'll put it with mine Because we all gotta be a prostitute sometime We all gotta be a prostitute sometimes I know a lot of you out there think I'm making a general statement about humanity Well nothing could be further from the truth I'm speaking to each and every one of you individually When I said, You're no better than a bunch of whores. And you're still in denial! There's a psychological phenomenon at work there Which I will elucidate in the bridge... Don't you know that the twenty dollar whores Look down their noses at The ten dollar whores Look down their noses at The five dollar whores Who look down on the volunteers 'Cause they ain't got careers... A great man once said You gotta serve somebody He didn't mention sometimes you gotta service them too But after a while I hope you get used to it You could always pretend it's performance art And then you won't feel bad that you did it No you won't feel bad that you did it If you get scurvy just suck on a lime Because we all gotta be a prostitute sometimes We all gotta be a prostitute sometimes.
4.
Maginot Line 04:26
lyrics
buy track
Did you hear about the foolish French , who hid themselves behind a trench. Filled it with a million men , ten thousand heavy guns and then Figured they would be just fine , now they had the maginot line. Maginot line, maginot line, thought you were so safe and strong. Maginot line, maginot line, stupid, stupid, you were wrong. It wasn't very long at all Before Mr. Hitler came to call. He said: Boys, this line is strong and sound Lucky for us we can just go around. The stark defenders fought their best But their turrets faced East And the Germans were West. Maginot line, maginot line, thought you were so safe and strong. Maginot line, maginot line, stupid, stupid, you were wrong. Maginot line, maginot line, why didn't some smart fellow say: Maginot line, maginot line, your guns are pointing the wrong way. Your guns are pointing the wrong way. So if you've got something you hold dear And you'd hate to see it disappear. You think that everything's just fine Better check it one more time. And reflect upon the Maginot doom A perfect fortress makes a perfect tomb. Maginot line, maginot line, thought you were so safe and strong. Maginot line, maginot line, stupid, stupid, you were wrong. Maginot line, maginot line, why didn't some smart fellow say: Maginot line, maginot line, your guns are pointing the wrong way. Your guns are pointing the wrong way. Your guns are pointing the wrong way.
5.
In the Year 2020 03:20
buy track
6.
Porn Queen Girlfriend 04:31
buy track
7.
A Settling of Accounts 04:12
buy track
8.
Beautiful In My Eyes 04:04
lyrics
buy track
When we go out To grace a public event with out presence All eyes are following us I know what they're thinking, in essence What a lucky buckaroo I am just to be seen with you I know I know you're thinking it too Would you be satisfied? How much of your love is pride? Would you be satisfied Only to be beautiful in my eyes? Those pretty near-sighted girls Who go out without wearing their glasses They look cute, but they're destitute When the fellas start making their passes How are they supposed to tell A dreamboat's whistle from a hunchback's bell? Maybe Maybe it's just as well Would you be satisfied? How much of your love is pride? Would you be satisfied Only to be beautiful in my eyes? I know it sounds like jealousy I'm not jealous But sometimes I try to be When we're out at a séance or a barbeque It's been five minutes And nobody's hit on you Forgive me for saying I can see you coming unglued One day, not far away Your good looks are gonna expire To be the center of attention then You'll have to light yourself on fire Then, I guess we're gonna see What your answer's gonna be That might That might be too late for me Would you be satisfied? How much of your love is pride? Would you be satisfied Only to be beautiful in my eyes?
9.
The Way That Girl Drinks Beer 04:17
lyrics
buy track
I know what they say Don't try this at home, kids It don't take waking up Covered in throwup to be a man Save your pennies to pay Off your student loan, kids You won't find no answer At the bottom of a bottle or can But when her wrists are bending I wish it was never ending Ask me how I feel I can tell you Do you got a year? The Way That Girl Drinks Beer She really puts it away now The way she drinks beer You'd swear she had a hollow leg Oh, just the slip of a girl But just like a pink one She's got a punch to knock you down So hard you don't know if you wanna wake up Watching her swirl It 'round her mouth and then sink one Well, it makes me feel legless before I put my lips to the cup They say that loose lips Are liable to sink ships I bet she'd sink a super-tanker Twice a year The Way That Girl Drinks Beer She really puts it away now The way she drinks beer You'd swear she had a hollow leg Well, I asked God If it was wrong to say That her drinking put me thinkin' in a spiritual He said "My son, don't you know the score? What you think I sent drugs down there for? Drink your so-dee pop, but you'll just get bored And you're never gonna see the true face of the Lord." The way that she Holds The can in only two fingers And leaves the other four free to make a blessing Or put on a hex If I get old It'll be the memory that lingers Maybe longer than the sound of her voice Or the taste of her s** There's nothing I wouldn't give her My heart, my soul, my liver (Which she'll probably be needing within a year!) The Way That Girl Drinks Beer She really puts it away now The way she drinks beer You'd swear she had a hollow leg Where does it go? I swear that I don't know 'Cause she's a clever little girl with the voice of doom But she never seems to visit the little girls' room
10.
Iron Grey 03:12
lyrics
buy track
I respect the law just about as much as I do the ones by whom it's made the government men can look all they like They'll never find my hiding place And it's here where I first saw my one true love I don't know her name so I'll call her Iron Grey Iron Grey, Iron Grey, Iron Grey Iron Grey, Iron Grey, Iron Grey That's the color of my true love's eyes Iron Grey, Iron Grey, Iron Grey I see her walk to the shipyard where she works She's a spot welder by trade When she gets to know me I know she will find I am not as bad as the papers say Until then I will sing to myself and I will say I've got one love and that's Iron Grey Iron Grey, Iron Grey, Iron Grey Iron Grey, Iron Grey, Iron Grey That's the color of my true love's eyes Iron Grey, Iron Grey, Iron Grey Perhaps I'll fake a drowning death And I'll come back here someday Ride my truck to the one I love And we'll run off far away Until then I will sing to myself and I will sing I've but one love and that's iron grey Iron Grey, Iron Grey, Iron Grey Iron Grey, Iron Grey, Iron Grey That's the color of my true loves eyes Iron Grey, Iron Grey, Iron Grey

about

After three years of winning fans the old fashioned way, troubadour Geoff Berner presented his first full-length CD named for a Winston Churchill phrase that may have provided some inspiration during tours through Canada, Scandinavia, England, Eastern Europe and beyond. We Shall Not justly captures the fruits of that labour. "We All Gotta Be a Prostitute Sometimes" is a Berner classic. It starts out as a reassuring song about making compromises for money, but quickly leads into a second verse reiterating how hard it is to use this argument convincingly. Next, a spoken interlude and by the time Berner gets to the complex social hierarchy among real life prostitutes, the listener has been absolved for any moneymaking sins, but not without a bitter twang. In "Maginot Line," Berner uses the failure of that famous stronghold as a metaphor for divorce. While "A Settling of Accounts" is pure performance art, in which Berner lyrically demands a cash payout from the bar and drinks from the audience. Strangely, on CD it works too. As a songwriter, Berner has already been lauded amongst folk stars, and as a musician, it's high time he had a wider audience. His slow, pleading voice combined with jarring accordion riffs (punk? folk?) and artistic pauses reveal a man constantly in awe at the baffling. We Shall Not is surprising, intelligent, funny and sad

credits

released January 1, 2003

Double Bass – Keith Rose (tracks: 1-4 to 1-6, 1-8)
Drums, Percussion – Wayne Adams
Engineer, Mastered By – David Taylor* (tracks: 2-1 to 2-6), Sal Riley (tracks: 2-1 to 2-6)
Engineer, Recorded By – Wayne Adams (tracks: 1-1 to 1-10)
Layout – Annie Wilkinson
Lead Vocals, Accordion – Geoff Berner
Mixed By, Mastered By – Marc L'Esperance (tracks: 1-1 to 1-10)
Producer – David Taylor* (tracks: 2-1 to 2-6), Geoff Berner (tracks: 1-1 to 1-10), Wayne Adams (tracks: 1-1 to 1-10)
Remastered By – Frank Molleno
Sleeve, Design – Robert Söllner
Written-By – Geoff Berner (tracks: 1-2 to 1-4, 1-6 to 1-10, 2-1 to 2-6)

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Geoff Berner image

Geoff Berner Vancouver, British Columbia

Singer / songwriter / accordionist / novelist Geoff Berner's music combines klezmer, punk, political satire and Balkan dance rhythms. He writes sharp, literate songs that make you want to weep, laugh, grind your teeth, or kick out a window - often all at the same time. Having built a cult following with his weirdly compelling stage presence, G.B. has a strange ability to create fun chaos. ... more

contact / help

Contact Geoff Berner

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this album or account

If you like Geoff Berner, you may also like:

Bandcamp Daily  your guide to the world of Bandcamp

On Bandcamp Radio

Saxophonist Isaiah Collier chats about his new LP and the influence of Pharoah Sanders.
listen now