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The Calling of the Crows

by Casey Stratton

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1.
The Bitter Truth A family torn to shreds by a sickness Black clouds circling us In a deep abyss I float like a shadow Lonely piece of who I was From the top of the trees I rally the others Your breathing shallow and slow It won’t be much longer before we will hover And we’ll pause to let you go For a moment we all stop and say goodbye A silent cry Then with no need to speak we storm into the skies Dark lullaby When the rain came down I tried to take cover But there would be no escape Every mind game played before I discovered I would never be the same For a moment we all stop and look to you Our lost one who We will not forget But we must keep moving through The bitter truth Take the pause But don’t stop too long There is so much here to mend There can be no way to properly send you But we’ll do what we can To send, send, send...
2.
When The Fates Came A famous shade of grey coming around again A quiet rage that is making its sound again When the fates came and destroyed me When the choice was made to set your soul free I knew right then no one could save me So I laid in the water that would take me down What lies beneath is almost darker than grieving So day by day I get closer to leaving Maybe I have learned the hard way Maybe I can’t see an always All I trusted, all I wanted Was taken away
3.
Ghosts in the Walls Sound in the air of a raven dead Candles burn, anointed heads There is power in the blood, there is strength in fire Crows in a row on the thin, barbed wire Bring in the flowers I can hear a storm Gathering close and gathering form No one is immune from the cold, white hands Taking the life of the Everyman There are ghosts in the walls Ravens in the trees Sounding the call On the evening breeze There are shapes in the dark That make me retreat Can’t feel the calm But I’m feeling the heat When I became what I always feared Part of me left in the sixteen years Living between what is real and dreams Threads unraveling from every seam
4.
Second Life 04:16
Second Life Can we change the way that this story goes? Daylight fades and I watch the reflections appearing So I hope for a chance to begin this again I can’t be sure of just when I will close this door Winds of change come through with the sound of you, faintly In your name I will find all the strength I need So I wish to get what I want just for once I am here in this moment because of all that changed Words cut from the page of another age From a different stage, from another life From before you and I Now me without you I’ll try To make a second life I know you’re near me And you want me to go on To reach for the sky By the lake I’ll sing our story And I’ll know what you brought me When all this has changed
5.
Tears That Know Your Name One day I will trust myself This place I know too well These tears that know your name These fears of never being the same I tried, God knows I did I lied to myself about this Those years are never coming back These tears are all I will ever have Just give me strength to move I’ll do what I can to make it through I’ll live without you here When the dark clouds clear There will be you I see you everywhere I turn but no one is ever there These nights are the hardest part These lights are never bright enough I hope you understand I know I did everything I could But in the end time always wins So I must not give in
6.
Sacred Tattoo Long rows of passing days Nothing in its place Hard roads to navigate Endless cold and grey And in the end I had to lose Did what I had to do then And I could pretend I’ve let go of you But you are my sacred tattoo Playing the end over and over again Torture myself all the time Holding my breath as you lost yours then I lost any sense of my life Please visit me Just sit with me Just until I fall back to sleep My soul is yours to keep I still feel you Find you in these landscapes I’ll always need you You’ll always be my safe place My right hand man My best friend All I could have asked for, Hen
7.
Waiting 04:19
Waiting Underneath these scars Lies a hardened heart In the broken shards Of a dying art And the fire that burns Won’t burn for me And I won’t return Too blind to really see Forget the way that it was I will never be the same one I lost a part of myself And I don’t care what you say now When I felt that heart Take its final beat My own would start To betray me And I would not know For a while how hard It would be to go On without my star Tired of waiting So tired of all this waiting So long I’ve been here hating What I’ve become and hating What doesn’t change And more what does I cannot change what I am now Tired of waiting So tired of all this waiting And still I’m contemplating What I can do to save me Is there a chance To bring this back To where I can care again?
8.
The Roads of Time I remember when I first saw you Both of us young, not knowing much of anything But I knew all at once how I'd grow to love you In the light of that sun, I felt two becoming one So we marched on the roads of time We sailed with the moving tides And I had you by my side And we had quite a long ride But I - I never wanted that day to come When we would see our last rising sun And you would leave my life So I - I fought against what I knew too well That you would go and I'd be in Hell I could not brace myself Now the sun will shine but I turn away I don't want to see everything that clearly So I go on moving through time I sail against the tides Without you by my side It is not the same ride Anywhere I hide, this finds me there I can see inside, but I can't get there And I know I must not be down this much But I can't seem to care enough
9.
Wait by the Water Wait by the water Don’t take the pathway home It’s not much farther Than you can bear to go Tonight, an end in sight So wait by the water Don’t take the pathway home You lost a father I lost my favorite son Rallied much longer Than thought by anyone I know you had to go But I wanted longer You were my chosen one Here, just stay right here Don’t hide your eyes I want to see you understand me I am by your side Stay next to mine Stay on the ride I find you waiting Here in a midnight dream No longer aching No longer distancing from me Both of us free So I hold you near me If only in this dream
10.
Mile Markers 06:28
Mile Markers There’s no way around this No place I can hide Even before you got sick I wasn’t happy So what is left? I fully understand this But I don’t know how to move on Every mile marker Reminds me how far you are I can’t believe the mess I’ve made Can’t go back I can’t move ahead What is that? All these months that I’ve been in a dark place Are only another room In the darkness I have made a prison of chains So I’m left in my rage again I won’t beg for you back No point in trying that Where you have gone is not my world It is not my world I fully understand now I fully understand But I don’t know how to move on I don’t know how to move
11.
Elegy 03:21
Elegy In the mist of the dawning day I am calling for you to come And to lay by my tear-stained face But in the end I am all alone When you left I became your ghost Carried you everywhere I’d go Memories are all I have of you now In the warmth of the setting sun I remember the lost days And the joy that I’ve come to shun Very slowly finds its way When you left emptiness became All I was as I sailed these days Memories made it hard for me, left to stay By the light of a silver moon I walk under star-filled skies And each time I think of you Watching over me in the night When you left I was so alone Thought of you everywhere I’d go Memories are all I have of you now
12.
Wanderlust 07:05
Wanderlust Through the leaves of my regrets I will sing to you There could never have been enough time Through the trees the moon sets And I think of you Blow a kiss into the star-filled night sky Do you still see me? Do you watch me cry? Do you still keep me? Can you let me fly to you? I am restless in my skin since I let go of you For a while I was anchored to our home But now I feel the call of a different view Through the forests my grief will roam I won’t be long I won’t go far You’re still with me wherever you are I can see you Do you still see me? Do you see me?

about

Casey's 1st "regular" outing since 2010's Myth & Stars, The Calling of the Crows is an examination of grief and life moving on after loss, focusing on the many emotions along the way.

The released download will include a digital booklet.

credits

released May 16, 2012

Casey - Vocals, Piano, Guitars, keyboards, Percussion, Drum Editing, Mixing.

Produced, performed, engineered and mixed by Casey Stratton

All songs written by Casey Stratton - www.caseystratton.com

Photography provided by Terry Johnston Photography
terryjohnstonphoto@gmail.com - terryjohnstonphoto.com

First and foremost I must dedicate this album to Henry William Stratton with the deepest gratitude and love for the 16 years of immense joy you brought to my life. Ups and downs, cities and towns, we spent a lot of time together and I miss you beyond measure every single day. Now and forever...

Terry Johnston - again and again your images are so appreciated to help me tell the story. Your friendship is also a part of the story I am thankful for.

Thank you to my family - without you I would be forever lost.

To my friends: Mario (for the listening sessions as always, for listening to me process and for a shoulder to cry on), Holly (for being there for me always and especially on a terrible day), Tina (for understanding me and hearing me), Cat (What would I have done without you? Your friendship has meant the world and beyond), Bonnie (your generosity astounds me, and so does your
kindness), Diana (our wandering days have been so lovely and your friendship is dear to me), Carnie (my love knows no bounds), Dr. Jen and co, Joey, Ralston, Kolene, Jon, Roberta, Patrick, April, Tony, Rich, Laura, Marcel, Ryan M,
Ryan C, Erin, Amy, Kirsten...I am certain I have forgotten many...apologies.

Lastly to June, Wendy and Charlie - my little family. You brighten my days.

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Casey Stratton Grand Rapids

Formerly signed to Sony Classical, Casey Stratton has experienced the corporate side of music in full force. His 2004 album "Standing at the Edge" received high critical praise from the likes of Billboard, People and USA Today. His song "House of Jupiter" reached #1 on the Billboard Dance/Club Play Chart. Now independent, Casey has released 28 albums and much, much more. ... more

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