The Pictou Sessions (2000)

01. The King of Oblivion
02. Seeds of Life
03. Fiddle Set
04. Scream
05. The Surprise Ceilidh Band Set
06. God
07. O'er The Moor and Amoung The Heather
08. All You People
09. Skyezinha/The Egret
10. A Rare Auld Time
11. Pipe Set
12. Trains

The King of Oblivion 
(Written by Kirk McLeod, arranged by Seven Nations) 

Between the refuge of the interstate overpass 
And the Sun State building stretching twenty-four stories to the skies 
Car tires and cat's eyes sing a lullaby 
He walks the sidewalk like he's dancing on fire 
He climbs the fire escape like there's no place higher than his room 
He can feel all eyes upon him when he moves 
If you see me I'll be hypnotized 
From the fourteenth row I see rust on his hands 
Outside it's Church Street where all the people sing 
Hail to the King of oblivion 

He's born on Friday but he's Saturday's child 
From his room down the hall I hear his radio dialed to a 
Broadway serenade 
As ashes on beer cans make their promenade 

If you see me I will be mesmerized 
From my empty row I feel moved to my feet 
Outside it's Church Street where all the people sing 
Hail to the King of oblivion 

And he looks around him 
And he finds himself alone 
But rewards of unconsciousness 
Are yet to be had, to be had 

If you see me I'll be hypnotized 
From the fourteenth row I see rust on his hands 
Outside it's Church Street where all the people sing 
Hail to the King of oblivion 

If you see me I'll be mesmerized 
From my empty row I feel moved to my feet 
When his song is complete I hear the people sing 
Hail to the King of oblivion 
Of oblivion 


Seeds of Life 
(Written by Kirk McLeod, arranged by Seven Nations) 

Ooh how my mind moves to green when I close my eyes 
Because green is the color of life, life I'm denied 
Seeds of hope, seeds of faith 
Will you grow, grow to escape 
Prison walls and grow greener 
And carry me far away 
Ooh how the time moves so slow while my garden grows 
But hope's my companion, time without, well often I've known 
Well I won't, and I will 
And I won't, I won't stop until 
You grow strong, and grow greener 
And carry me far away 
Carry me far away 

Take me and then arrest me 
Take me, don't leave me long 
Don't 

Seeds of hope, seeds of faith 
Will you grow, grow to escape 
Prison walls and grow greener 
And carry me far away 
Carry me far away 


Fiddle Set 

E minor jig (traditional) 
The Moon Coin (traditional) 
Shawn's Lament for He is in Hell (Dan Stacey) 
Limerick Lassies (traditional) 


Scream 
(Written by Kirk McLeod, arranged by Seven Nations) 

I hold my hands in front of me to block my line of sight 
It seems my eyes are growing tired of staring in the light 
The more I see the more I feel the less I want to know 
Because if you think to much you'll blow your mind 
You might just lose control and scream 
I walk the line ahead of me my eyes fixed to the ground 
I hear a voice that calls to me I don't dare make a sound 
You can see the hate you can taste the anger 
You can hold it in your hands 
I could take a knife and split it open but still I wouldn't understand 

And I scream from the earth 
I scream at the sky 
And I scream for all I'm worth 
I hope you're coming soon 
I hope you're coming soon 

So many people 
Believe in life 
I hope you're coming soon 

Something just occurred to me that I think I knew before 
It comes to me like a creeping shadow 
Like a light from a half closed door 
Do I think too much or not enough 
Do I even have a clue 
Because here I stand a single person 
Is there anything I can do 

And I scream from the earth 
I scream at the sky 
And I scream for all I'm worth 
I hope you're coming soon 
And I scream from the earth 
I scream at the sky 
And I scream for all I'm worth
I hope you're coming soon 
I hope you're coming soon 


The Surprise Ceilidh Band Set 
(All traditional, arranged by Seven Nations) 

Scotland the Brave 
Wearin' of the Green 
The Rakes of Mallow 


God 
(Written by Kirk McLeod, arranged by Seven Nations) 

No I never drink my poison 
No I never let you see 
No I never drink my poison 
Unless it's good for me 
No I never ponder confusion no 
Or sit around and wait to see 
Or watch the outcome of a certain situation 
I had in mind for eternity

Yeah it's up to me 
What will be is up to me 
No I never make a choice unless it's up to me 
And I never give a reason 

No I never sink my teeth in 
No I never take a bite 
No I never sink my teeth in unless I feel the right 
No I never play the jokerman 
Sit around and wait to see 
Or watch the outcome of a certain situation 
I had in mind for eternity 

Yeah it's up to me 
What will be is up to me 
No I never make a choice unless it's got to be 
And I never give a reason 

It's up to me; It's up to me 
What will be is up to me 
No I never make a choice unless it's got to be 
And I never give a reason 


O'er the Moor and Among the Heather 
(Traditional, arranged by Dan Stacey and Kirk McLeod) 


All You People 
(Written by Kirk McLeod and Aidan McGovern, arranged by Seven Nations) 

All you people 
Won't you come into the right 
There's no need to fight anymore today 
All you people 
All you people 
It seems too strange to me 
That when we can talk so clear 
We leave so much in doubt 
When we can talk so clear 
We leave so much in doubt 

All you people 
While my song is in the air 
You're all welcome to share 
My smoke, my wine 
All you people 
All you people

And it seems so strange to me 
When we can talk so clear 
We leave so much in doubt 
When we can talk so clear 
We leave so much in doubt 
And I still wonder that the fussing 
And the fighting and the shouting's all about 

Na na na na na, all you people 
Na na na na na, all you people 
I'm already gone 
So don't wake me because I'm already gone 
Don't wake me 
I'm already gone 


Skyezinha/The Egret 
(Written and arranged by Kirk McLeod) 


A Rare Auld Time 
(Written by Kirk McLeod and Aiden McGovern, arranged by Kirk McLeod) 

It's three a.m. and we're down at Bridie's 
The music's grand the craic it flows 
With Wally Putt and Gard O'Brien 
The best of times we've ever known 

So raise your glasses to the heaves 
The O'Reilly's and the Nevin's 
It's just as well a chara 
The tables are nailed down 
Paidi Murphy's on his second 
With McDuff and the Reverend 
We're having ourselves a rare auld time 

Now Thom O'Neil is going crazy 
He's doing a jig now with the wife 
She doesn't know it's Friday's money 
He's spent in Bridie's Thursday night 

Now ashtrays fly and chairs fall over 
There'll be hell to pay by daylight 
But we don't care t'is surely liftin' 
To see the glint in old Thoms' eye 

So raise your glasses to the heaves 
The O'Reilly's and the Nevin's 
It's just as well a chara 
The tables are nailed down 
Paidi Murphy's on his fourth 
With O'Conner and McCourt 
We're having ourselves a rare auld time 

All's quiet now in Danny's corner 
A drop of dew was his taste 
We miss the man since he met the coroner 
His humor never went to waste 

The story goes he walks by moonshine 
The auld ones hear him every night 
They say he sings down by the ditches 
Raisin' hell until the break of light 

So raise your glasses to the heaves 
The O'Reilly's and the Nevin's 
It's just as well a chara 
The tables are nailed down 
Paidi Murphy's on his eighth 
With Jimmy Joyce and Yeats 
We're having ourselves a rare auld time 

Sweet Mary Clare has roses bloomin' 
The lads are giving her the eye 
But she just wants to get back with Patrick 
After telling him goodbye 

Now Gerry Byrne has called for ciunas 
His Kate has fallen in a trance 
a voice so pure t'would give ya shivers 
But soon she'll break into a dance 

So raise your glasses to the heaves 
The O'Reilly's and the Nevin's 
It's just as well a chara 
The tables are nailed down 
Paidi Murphy's on his ninth 
Dylan Thomas, Oscar Wilde 
We're havin' ourselves a rare auld time 

Good ol' Murphy's on his tenth 
Jaysus Behan's really bent 
It's just as well a chara the tables are nailed down 
Sean O' Casey, Kavanaugh 
How the hell is Ballina? 
We're having ourselves a rare auld time 

Now it's Murphy's on his back 
Behan's having one on Jack 
It's just as well a chara the tables are nailed down 
Now it's Behan's on the floor 
Murphy's callin' out for more 
We're havin' ourselves a rare auld 
We're havin' ourselves a rare auld 
We're havin' ourselves a rare auld time 


Pipe Set 
(Arranged by Scott Long and Dan Stacey) 

Father John Angus Rankin (Jerry Holland) 
The Laird of Drumblair (J. Scott Skinner) 
D Reel/Humors of Cork (traditional) 

Trains 
(Written & arranged by Kirk McLeod) 

Please don't tell me you want to go home now 
There must be something, something that we could be doing 
Let's stay out, the trains will run until morning 
Because I don't want to go 
Please don't make me go 
I don't want to go home to bed now 
Please don't tell me you want to sleep now 
There must be something, something that we should be doing 
Let's stay up the trains will run until morning 
Because I don't want to go 
Please don't make me go 
I don't want to go home to bed now 

Because when I close my eyes 
There's too much time between 
When I close them and the time I fall to sleep 
But please don't think that I'm weak hearted 
Because I don't want to go 
Please don't make me go 
I don't want to go home to bed now