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Can You Hear us at the Back

by The Shabs

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  • Streaming + Download

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

      $10 USD  or more

     

  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    12" Yellow Vinyl
    Includes inlay with lyrics

    Can You Hear us at the Back is The Shabs latest full length album released in March 2019

    Includes unlimited streaming of Can You Hear us at the Back via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 30 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $20 USD or more 

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Can You Hear us at the Back is the latest full length album released by The Shabs

    Released in March 2019

    Includes unlimited streaming of Can You Hear us at the Back via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 30 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $12 USD or more 

     

1.
Philip and Tommy, they started a band in Toms bedroom when they were 15   They played as loud and as fast as they possibly could until Toms neighbours called the police.  So they asked their friend Mike if they could rehearse in his parents garage. He said I’ll talk to my mom and my dad, but only if you let me play in the band.  But Mike couldn’t sing, he couldn’t play anything, but they still let him in because they knew that none of this  
 Matters as much as we think it matters  As much as we thought it mattered when we were young, when we thought everything mattered much more than it does 
 So Philip and Tommy and Mike started writing a couple of songs about hating the man, hating the cool kids and the cops About how their mothers and fathers and teachers just can’t ever know what it’s like to be fifteen, misunderstood, insecure and alone  About how the world has forgotten us all About how the things we think will make us happy don’t  Matter, as much as we think they mattered as much as we thought they mattered when we were young when we thought everything mattered much more than it does.  
 Phillip and Tommy and Mike always thought that they’d tour round the world playing their music to thousands of fans who would scream for one more as they walked of the stage  But they never left their hometown and broke up after 3 or 4 years of playing house parties, scout halls and high school talent shows But they made us sing and throw up our fists  And just for a second they made us feel infinite, like we belong Like our salvation could be found in a song 
They helped us figure out the rights from the wrongs And just for a second, they made us feel like this matters They made us feel like this matters It matters to us that it matters to you When you stand in the crowd with a smile on your face and your fist in the air  It matters as much as we think it matters As much as we thought it mattered when we were young, when we thought everything matters much more than it does
2.
Like always, I’ll fall asleep on the floor There’s no space for me anymore But I know that glory moves slow and the future is going to be great Remember, we had plans, they just didn’t unfold We were going to take over the world And I know there’s not much to show, but the hand we’ve been dealt will be great Man up, the time is drawing near for you to stand up And if you don’t you’re only going to land up regretting everything you never did I don’t understand what you’re saying to me You might as well be speaking in Greek All I hear is the sound of the years washing away down the drain So let’s wing it. Let’s not waste our time making plans When we know that we’ll always land on our feet and the future is going to be grand Man up, the time is drawing near for you to stand up And if you don’t you’re only going to land up regretting everything you never did But be careful, the things that you believe in all resemble a system that could not be classed as normal And the future as we know it will be great We shake our heads when we realise While we’re awake, we live a lie We must admit when we’ve done wrong We’ve been the problem all along Let’s crawl out of our hiding place and face the things we’re scared to face The thing about the future is in order to move on you need to focus on the future not the weight you drag along And while the world may beat you down just keep your head up and stay strong I know the future will be great
3.
Let’s write a script and make a horrible movie about our lives So all our friends can see how smart and witty and insightful we are I’ll play you, you play me for objectivity and comic relief I’ll draw the poster, you can hum the movie score So just like light we’ll leak through cracks and we’ll illuminate the room We’ll fall like crumbs between couch cushions while you watch the morning news We’ll steal seconds where we can until they add up to a year A year we could’ve spent at home Let’s write a cheesy folk son about opportunity and falling in love We’ll use no more than three chords and build the chorus with some sweet harmonies I’ll play my cheapest guitar to give the feeling that we’re so down to earth I’ll write the lyrics, you can hum the melody So write me a book full of all of your trials and tribulations I’ll read it out loud to my friends Don’t hold anything back and make sure it’s emotional Use a lot of similes, avoid using metaphors While you write the manuscript, I’ll be here singing this song
4.
I love the view from your apartment of that abandoned parking lot Broken glass glows green on black tarmac from bottles smashed by teenage drunks A shopping trolley traces circles around a wheel that will not turn Those cardboard beds, newspaper pillows Limp from last nights unscheduled rain that came too late 
 We’ve got to try to be better to each other or we’ll never survive You’re not alone, or at least you’re not as lonely as you feel sometimes It doesn’t seem like it matters anymore to anybody at all We’ve got to try to be better 
 So let’s assign a set of symbols  to sentiments we can’t quite place   We’ll leave them scribbled in the margins of library books long overdue With far fetched faith that they’ll be found by somebody struggling to describe That unexpected lack of purpose we always feel when we achieve the goals we set
 So run like hell I’m right behind you from all the secret things we’ve done Take shelter in the shrinking shadows as they retreat towards the walls Of that old abandoned building.
5.
Let’s agree, let’s agree to disagree I know we’re trying but I don’t get you and you don’t get me That’s ok, sometimes that’s just how it goes The world would be a very boring place if we all got along Sometimes I get the feeling you’re not listening And other times I must admit that I don’t too Most times I think it’s miscommunication and I promise to make much more of an effort if you promise to do too Let’s decide to put our differences aside Life’t too short for us to argue and be angry all the time Drop your guard, you’ve got nothing to protect The world could be a very happy place if you just let that happen It’s hard to swallow your words when you’re choking on your pride
6.
Throw Away 03:27
I could sit all day and watch the people go about all the things they're about to do wrong You could say you've scene this scene a thousand times before, it’s the one where the hero  saves the day If i try a little harder maybe i can find a few things i don't find all that bad And if you look a little closer maybe you can see a few scenes that don't seem all that sad No I'm not sick of driving for hundreds of hours No I'm not sick of you always asking the time No I'm not sick of this shirt, i'll wear it again I'm not sick of this yet So throw away throw away  all the things you're not using the free shirt, the free booze, the freedom to choose Throw away throw away  all the things you don't need like your big car, your big screen and your bigoted views Throw away throw away  all the things that'll kill you the good meat, the good wine, say goodbye to it all Throw away throw away  all the things that define you You'll be sick of them soon You wrote a note in secret code that only you andI can decipher that i found last night It said to pack a bag and leave it by the door and wait for the signal that we used to use And don't forget to take a map and make a mark  around all the places that you'd rather be Make sure to travel light and leave the load behind before it becomes all the reasons you're still here No i'm not sick of that song that you always play I'm not sick of that same meal we ate yesterday  No i'm not sick of having this conversation again I'm not sick of this yet. 
7.
Sitting on a pavement outside a house that really looks like it could be home. No one’s home They’ve all gone away on holiday and left us behind Promise me you’ll sit here and sing the words to our favourite teenage songs that I forgot I’ll just play guitar and harmonise until we blow our voices out and every word becomes a faded squeaky shout Can you hear us at the back Can you hear us at the back We’re screaming as loud as we can So it looks like I’ll be spending the night. Even though I don’t have my sleeping bag, my backpack, my toothbrush, toothpaste, socks and boxer shorts, it still beats sleeping in the car And if you stay I’ll pour you a drink and we can raise a glass to that time we watched our favourite band and then formed a band so we could be like them and blow our voices out Can you hear us at the back Can you hear us at the back We’re screaming as loud as we can I know you’ll leave before we play, but you still came And I don’t mind, time is finite, I’ll find that out someday We’ll mix mixed metaphors with chords we have to play And try convince the kids we still have things to say Can you hear us at the back Can you hear us at the back We’re screaming as loud as we can So please don’t leave without us
8.
We’ve been in a book We’ve been in a movie script Our story’s been told a thousand times but I’ve refused to see the end You prefer completion I’ve always been one for surprise Now you’re close to dropping spoilers with the hurt behind your eyes Help me find a way It seems I’ve lost my bearings and I cannot see Stop begging me to stay We both know how we’re feeling so just let it be It’s safe to say what’s done gets done again We’ve been in a magazine We’ve been in a song It’s fairly hard to live life happy when you’re always telling me I’m wrong You hold onto grudges I find it easy to forgive We’re nowhere close to making changes to this unhappy life we live Help me find a way It seems I’ve lost my bearings and I cannot see Stop begging me to stay We both know how we’re feeling so just let it be It’s safe to say what’s done gets done again If we work together, I’m pretty sure we’ll see the end Any enemy of my enemy, I’d be proud to call my friend But it’s safe to say what’s done gets done again
9.
Here’s another lesson learned Life’s not quite as awesome as the movies make it out to be At any point you might get hurt so try and be as well prepared, as much as you could ever be We’ve seen the sun go down on many situations when we needed much more light to see One day the sun will break the clouds and we won’t be as frustrated as when we couldn’t help with anything 
We were unstable, emotionally drained, cut out to complain We were unable to see things we’re meant to see, inhale air we’re meant to breathe Here’s a piece of bad advice Assume that life is awesome and then deal with the consequence You might not fall asleep at night but at least you’ll be prepared for any shit you might experience We’ve seen the clouds dissolve when we really need their shade to protect us from the sun One day we’ll watch those clouds reform and we’ll figure out a difference in the good and bad things we have done
10.
Have you ever stopped to think about everything that you believe in on a day when it’s been raining outside And the raindrops on your window make you feel so alone and your sheets have never felt so cold at night This existential crisis that you’re having for the first time is just the sprouting of a deeply seeded seed So when ordering a pizza, make it large and get two drinks so they assume you’ve got another mouth to feed ‘cos you are not alone Have you ever ventured out in the middle of the week to look for meaning in the bottom of a beer And your friends don’t seem to worry as you’re searching and you’re searching, just waiting for that meaning to appear Then suddenly it hits you, you’ve adopted a strategy that has ruined so many peoples lives So when ordering your next drink, make sure that it’s a water It’ll probably help the hangover subside You are not alone We’ve all been there or there about Life’s not fair, we’ve figured out So when the hope we’ve spared is cashing out Take some time to focus on the plan You can take it from this man as a lesson You can take it from this band as a lesson You can take it from The Shabs as a lesson
11.
Not Too Late 03:24
We’ve all been waiting for so long for life to start that we forgot that life won’t wait, even if we’re not ready So we make plans we know won’t happen but we happen to forget that people purposefully plan pointlessly We can’t fail if we don’t try so we tell lies to try disguise we’re terrified we’ll aim too high next time And we build homes to house our hearts and hope like hell they’ll hold our hopes at bay just long enough It is not too late to save us from the people we’ve become You can stop yourself from drowning if you only take a breath Don’t forget to live for something before you die Time is ruthless so make sure you use it to live your life When I was four I learned that pilots, firemen and astronauts are only people and those things are just their jobs When I was six I learned that lying only works if you believe that lie yourself before you lie to someone else When I was 8 I learned that adults also cry although their hurt is usually caused by things they’ve never tried So while we’re young let’s take a chance to practice our self-confidence and make decisions we’ll never be afraid of
12.
Red eyes, dry mouth Stench of whiskey on your breath Closed minds, shut out Half smoked, broken cigarettes Take a chance and ask a question Things might be the worst they’ll ever be Your thoughts will always need protection Take a chance we’re heading to the core of our humanity Always alone Too much time to sit and think Red lights, long roads Too far between every drink Time stops, time goes What the fuck have you achieved Green lights, wet roads Moving at a dangerous speed So hey, hey God Where’ve you been since yesterday We lost our friend So what the fuck’s the point in praying Red eyes, dry mouth
I’ll meet you at the liquor store

about

Recorded at Sound and Motion Studio, Cape Town, South Africa
Produced by The Shabs and Simon Ratcliffe
Mixed and Mastered by Simon Ratcliffe

credits

released March 1, 2019

The Shabs are:
Jon Shaban - Vocals and Guitars
Ryan McArthur - Bass and Vocals
Jon Case - Drums
Sophie Doherty - Vocals

Guest musicians:
Richard Case - Lead Guitar and Pedal Steel
Lee Thompson - Trumpet and Flugel Horn
Matt Willis - Trombone
Gareth Harvey - Clarinets
Ann Donald - Viola
Luke Otto - Cello

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about

The Shabs Cape Town, South Africa

The Shabs is a Folk Punk duo out of Cape Town South Africa.
They deliver a tight, captivating set that blends sincere, melodic sing-a-long folk with the raw energy and DIY ethos of punk rock.
The band never ceases to get a crowd to throw their fists in the air and sing along to their anthemic tunes which have
been described as honest and raw and easy
to relate to.
... more

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