BARD RECORDS

Tag: home-feature

  • You Love To Watch Me Cry

    You Love To Watch Me Cry

    Some people don’t break your heart.
    They simply keep handing it back in pieces.

    You Love To Watch Me Cry is about recognising emotional manipulation while still finding yourself caught inside it. Every apology, every return and every small act of cruelty becomes part of a cycle that’s easier to see from the outside than it is to escape from within.

    ► BUY
    ON PAPER

    Mmm yeah

    You leave the lights on when you know I’m breaking
    Pour another drink while my heart is shaking
    Smile like a villain when the tears start falling
    You say it’s nothing but we both know what you’re calling

    I’m drowning in the silence you’re floating on the sound
    Every crack inside me you wear it like a crown

    You love to watch me cry
    You love to watch me fall apart
    You love the way I die
    A little more inside my heart
    Every tear is your favourite song
    You play it slow when the night is long
    You love to watch me cry
    Yeah you love to watch me cry

    You text me I miss you right after you ghost me
    Kiss me like poison then act like you don’t know me
    Keep me in your pocket like a broken little toy
    Tell all your friends that I’m just being paranoid

    I’m bleeding on the carpet you’re laughing in the dark
    You say you hate the drama but you’re tearing me apart

    You love to watch me cry
    You love to watch me fall apart
    You love the way I die
    A little more inside my heart
    Every tear is your favourite song
    You play it slow when the night is long
    You love to watch me cry
    God you love to watch me cry

    One day I’ll walk away leave the door wide open
    You’ll finally feel the silence when the tears stop flowing
    But tonight I’m still here letting you destroy me
    ‘Cause some sick part of me thinks you might enjoy me

    You love to watch me cry
    You love when I can’t say goodbye
    You love the way I try
    To keep this dead thing still alive
    Every tear is your victory
    You smile while you’re killing me
    You love to watch me cry
    Yeah you love to watch me cry

    Mmm watch me cry
    You love it don’t you?

  • Still Up

    Still Up

    Some nights don’t need fixing.
    They just need finishing.

    Still Up captures the strange space between deciding to go to bed and actually getting there. Nothing dramatic happens. The phone keeps scrolling, the tea goes cold, another bus passes outside and another hour quietly disappears. Like much of Different Day, the song finds comfort in an ordinary moment that almost everyone recognises but rarely talks about.

    ► BUY
    WORDS

    Still up, phone lighting up the room,
    Didn’t notice it got this late that soon.
    Same video’s been looping for a while,
    Don’t even like it, just killing time in style.

    Texted half a line, left it unsent,
    Cold tea in the mug, half forgotten, half spent.
    Ceiling’s got that one crack I know,
    Counting the tiles while the night moves slow.

    Could get up, make some tea,
    Or watch the streetlights flicker across the street.
    Everything’s paused, nothing feels new,
    Just sitting here is enough to do.

    Still up, still here,
    Lights on across the flats, I can see them clear.
    Nothing’s breaking, nothing’s gone wrong,
    Just the same night and a half-forgotten song.

    Still up, still here,
    Phone in my hand, scrolling like a gear.
    I don’t move, don’t need to pretend,
    Guess I’ll be fine until the morning again.

    Bus passes slow, headlights spill on the street,
    I count the ones that pass while I stay in my seat.
    Microwave beeped, tea’s gone cold,
    Another song on shuffle, same playlist, same old.

    Half a thought drifts, I shrug and sigh,
    Look at my empty plate, leave it by.
    Another scroll through memes and feeds,
    Small victories counted in tiny deeds.

    Could get out, see the sun rise,
    Or let the shadows play tricks on my eyes.
    Nothing moves, everything’s still,
    And just sitting here is quietly a thrill.

    Still up, still here,
    Lights on across the flats, I can see them clear.
    Nothing’s breaking, nothing’s gone wrong,
    Just the same night and a half-forgotten song.

    Still up, still here,
    Phone in my hand, scrolling like a gear.
    I don’t move, don’t need to pretend,
    Guess I’ll be fine until the morning again.

    Thoughts come slow, nothing new,
    Kettle’s done, tea’s gone too.
    Night drifts on, quiet and alive,
    Small noises around me keep me awake inside.

    Still up, still here,
    Lights on across the flats, I can see them clear.
    Nothing’s breaking, nothing’s gone wrong,
    Just the same night and a half-forgotten song.

    Still up, still here,
    Phone in my hand, scrolling like a gear.
    I don’t move, don’t need to pretend,
    Guess I’ll be fine until the morning again.

  • Friday Queue

    Friday Queue

    Friday nights look different
    depending which side of the counter you’re on.

    Friday Queue follows the people who spend their weekends delivering everyone else’s. Between takeaway orders, late-night shifts and the hope that there’s still enough energy left for one drink afterwards, the song captures the routine shared by thousands of workers every Friday evening. Like much of Different Day, it finds humour and honesty in the ordinary lives that quietly keep everything else moving.

    ► BUY
    WORDS

    Yeah… another one.
    Queue’s already long, innit.

    Twenty-three, bike lights flickering again,
    Phone at 12%, battery’s on its last leg.
    Order number 47, cold chips in the rain,
    Some posh flat in the new builds that all look the same.
    Manager texts: “Can you do a double?”
    I say yeah ’cause rent don’t pay itself, trouble.
    Sweat through the hoodie, gloves got holes in the fingers,
    Smell of vinegar and regret on my trainers.

    Clock says ten, eyes say midnight,
    Still two more drops before I even think about pints.

    Friday queue, I’m back in the queue,
    Bag on my back and the same shitty view.
    We laugh about it, what else can we do?
    Friday queue — see you in the queue.

    Shift ends at three, legs proper dead,
    Mate’s already at the offy getting cans instead.
    Tenner in my pocket after fuel and the fine,
    Still enough for entry if the bouncer don’t mind.
    We stand in the smoking area talking absolute shit,
    About bosses and exes and “one day we’ll quit”.
    Nobody believes it, nobody cares,
    We just neck the drinks and pretend we’re not scared.

    I keep saying next month I’ll sort my life out proper,
    But the rota drops and I’m back on the roster.

    Friday queue, still in the queue,
    Sweat and the bass and the same fucking tune.
    We laugh about it, what else can we do?
    Friday queue — stuck in the queue… again.

    Yeah… another one.
    See you next Friday.

  • Can’t Be Arsed

    Can’t Be Arsed

    Tomorrow always sounds
    like a really productive day.

    Can’t Be Arsed isn’t really about laziness. It’s about the strange comfort of putting things off while quietly knowing they’ll still be there tomorrow. Gym memberships, job applications, unopened protein powder and well-meaning advice all become part of the same routine, where every plan feels reasonable until it’s time to actually start. Like much of Different Day, the song finds humour in ordinary British life without pretending the joke isn’t sometimes on us.

    ► BUY
    WORDS

    Yeah… suppose I should get up at some point.

    Alarm’s been going off since half ten,
    I’m still scrolling reels in the same joggers again.
    Job listings say “ambitious self-starter”,
    I laugh, close the tab, roll another one after.
    Gym membership’s active, payment went through,
    Haven’t been since January, truth.
    Got the protein powder sitting on the side,
    Still unopened, best before’s last July.

    I know I should, I really do,
    But the sofa’s warm and the day’s half through.

    Can’t be arsed today, maybe tomorrow,
    Put it on the list with the rest of my sorrow.
    Can’t be arsed, leave it for now,
    World keeps spinning, I’ll figure it out… somehow.
    Can’t be arsed, turn the volume up,
    Let the breakbeat drown the shoulda-woulda stuff.
    Can’t be arsed, it’s fine, it’s cool,
    I’ll sort it next week after I finish this school… of thought.

    Mum rings, asks if I’ve applied for that thing,
    I say “working on it”, which is technically lying.
    Got the CV open in another tab,
    Cursor blinking like it’s judging me bad.
    Mate’s doing overtime, building his credit,
    I’m watching boxsets, eating cold pizza in bed.
    I tell myself it’s just a phase, relax,
    But it’s been three years and I’m still on this track.

    Deep down I know the clock’s ticking loud,
    But right now the duvet’s winning by knockout.

    Can’t be arsed today, maybe next year,
    Add it to the pile of shit I hold dear.
    Can’t be arsed, leave it alone,
    Breakbeats still hit and I’m still at home.
    Can’t be arsed… yeah I know it’s sad,
    But at least the groove’s still proper bad.

    Tomorrow.
    Definitely tomorrow.

  • Say It Properly

    Say It Properly

    Some things shouldn’t be said
    like they mean nothing.

    Say It Properly is about the frustration of hearing something important delivered as though it were just another part of the conversation. The words are clear enough, but the weight behind them is left for somebody else to interpret. It’s a demand for honesty that goes beyond simply saying the right words: if something matters, acknowledge that it matters.

    ► BUY
    LYRICS

    You said it casually
    Like it didn’t need emphasis
    Like it was already agreed
    No build-up
    No hesitation
    Just placed in the middle
    Of everything else you were saying

    I let it pass
    That was the mistake

    Say it properly
    Say it like it matters
    Don’t drop it in
    And move past it

    Say it properly
    So I know
    What you actually meant

    You kept talking
    Like nothing had shifted
    Same tone Same pace
    Like I wasn’t supposed
    To stop you
    Like I was meant
    To accept it quietly
    You didn’t check
    You assumed

    Say it properly
    Say it like it matters
    Don’t smooth it out
    So it lands easier
    Say it properly
    Or don’t say it at all

    I went back over it later
    Every word
    Trying to decide
    If I’d imagined the weight

    I didn’t
    You just didn’t carry it

    Say it properly
    Say it like it matters
    Don’t leave it sitting there
    For me to work out

  • Hold The Room

    Hold The Room

    Sometimes being good at the part
    makes it harder to see you’re playing one.

    Hold The Room is about becoming so practised at managing other people, situations and expectations that the performance starts happening automatically. Every word, pause and reaction is controlled, keeping everything around you steady while creating distance from the person underneath it. The room never sees the effort. It only sees the version that works.

    ► BUY
    LYRICS

    I can feel it when it starts now
    Every time I step inside
    Something shifts into position
    Before I even realise

    I adjust without thinking
    Tone and posture, pace and breath
    Like I’ve done it so often
    It just happens on request

    I don’t choose it
    It arrives

    I hold the room
    I keep it steady
    I stay exactly where I’m meant to be

    I hold the room
    No one notices
    How far away I am from me

    Every word lands where it should now
    Every pause is placed in time
    I can read the smallest changes
    Before anyone defines them

    I can keep it moving forward
    I can smooth it, keep it clean
    But the version that they’re getting
    Isn’t anything like me

    If I stop it
    It all drops

    If I stop this
    What am I not

    I hold the room
    I keep it steady
    I stay exactly where I’m meant to be

    I hold the room
    No one notices
    How far away I am from me

  • After It’s Done

    After It’s Done

    The finish line can carry a lot of weight
    until you actually cross it.

    After It’s Done is about investing so much attention in reaching an endpoint that the ending begins to promise more than it can deliver. When it finally arrives, there is no transformation or release, only the disappearance of the pressure that came before it. What seemed important was never really the ending. It was the pursuit of it.

    ► BUY
    LYRICS

    It was everything for weeks
    Every thought, every move
    Every part of my attention
    Fixed on getting through

    I could feel it building pressure
    Like it had to mean something
    Like the end would change the way
    Everything would sit

    And now it’s done
    It’s quiet again
    Nothing moved the way I thought it would

    Now it’s done
    I’m back inside
    The same space I was trying to outrun

    There’s no shift in how it feels now
    No release, no sudden lift
    Just the absence of the pressure
    That I thought would change this

    All the weight I gave the outcome
    Doesn’t hold the way I planned
    I was counting on a difference
    That was never in my hands

    It wasn’t in the ending
    It was only in the chase

    Now it’s done
    It’s quiet again
    Nothing changed the way I thought it would

    Now it’s done
    I understand
    I was chasing something that won’t stay

  • You Didn’t Stop Me

    You Didn’t Stop Me

    Sometimes you realise what you’re saying
    by hearing nothing come back.

    You Didn’t Stop Me follows a conversation that becomes increasingly one-sided while it is still happening. The speaker keeps going, expecting some interruption, reaction or sign that the other person is still part of the moment. Instead, their silence gradually changes the meaning of everything being said. By the end, the lack of response has provided an answer of its own.

    ► BUY
    LYRICS

    I kept talking longer than I meant to
    Thought you might cut in, pull me back
    Every word just seemed to carry forward
    You let it go like it didn’t land

    I was waiting for a reaction
    Something real to interrupt
    But you stayed right where you were
    And let me give it all up

    You didn’t stop me
    You let it all come through
    I gave you everything in it
    You gave me nothing back to hold

    You didn’t stop me
    You let it fall between
    What I thought we were sharing
    And what it really meant

    You nodded once like you were listening
    But nothing moved behind your eyes
    No questions came, no shift in feeling
    Just space where something should have tried

    I started hearing it differently
    While it was still leaving my mouth
    Like I was the only one in it
    Like you were already out

    That’s when it changed for me
    Not what I said out loud
    Just how you let it happen
    Without you in it now

    You didn’t stop me
    You let it all come through
    I gave you everything in it
    You gave me nothing back to hold

    You didn’t stop me
    That’s how I understood
    I was carrying the moment
    On my own like I should

    I should have stopped myself

  • Halfway Chapters

    Halfway Chapters

    Some plans disappear
    without anything going wrong.

    Halfway Chapters finds Lisa Coles taking stock at thirty-five, looking at the ambitions, choices and versions of the future that once seemed certain. Some happened, some didn’t, and some simply stopped mattering. Rather than mourning what has passed, she begins to see the years ahead as something still hers to shape.

    ► BUY
    THOUGHTS, MOSTLY

    I stand in front of the mirror tonight
    Pull out the old photos from the shelf
    Laugh at the plans that I once held tight
    Think how quietly some dreams left themselves

    Thirty-five and the clock keeps moving
    Half the chapters behind, half still to write
    Time to stop chasing what’s always proven
    Empty and start building something that’s right

    Halfway through, but I’m not done
    All the years I’ve lost, all the miles I’ve run
    I’ve got just as many ahead as behind
    Time to hold the truths I can find

    I remember nights I stayed up awake
    Sketching the futures that never came
    Some roads I chose, some I let break
    Some doors closed quietly without blame

    Thirty-five and the clock keeps moving
    Half the chapters behind, half still to write
    Time to stop chasing what’s always proven
    Empty and start building something that’s right

    Halfway through, but I’m not done
    All the years I’ve lost, all the miles I’ve run
    I’ve got just as many ahead as behind
    Time to hold the truths I can find

    I don’t need the applause or the fame
    Just the quiet proof that I played my game
    Every small choice, every late-night fight
    Shapes the half ahead I hold in sight

    Halfway through, but I’m not done
    All the years I’ve lost, all the miles I’ve run
    I’ve got just as many ahead as behind
    Time to hold the truths I can find

  • Folded Letters

    Folded Letters

    Sometimes the hardest reply
    is the one you haven’t sent yet.

    Folded Letters catches Lisa Coles in the small space between receiving a message and deciding what to do with it. She types, deletes, rereads and waits, knowing there is something she wants to say but unable to find a version that feels right. The longer she leaves it, the harder keeping quiet becomes.

    ► BUY
    THOUGHTS, MOSTLY

    I read your message again
    I don’t know if I should reply

    You say it like it’s simple
    Like nothing really changed
    I read it through twice
    Still don’t know what you mean

    I hold the phone in my hand
    Wait for something to land

    I can’t hold it in
    I can’t hold it in

    I start to type, then erase it
    Watch the words disappear
    There’s a way I could say it
    I just don’t make it clear

    I let the silence sit
    See what it does to me

    I can’t hold it in
    I can’t hold it in

    Say it now or leave it

    I can’t hold it in
    I can’t hold it in
    I can’t hold it in