Track 6 | My Familiar
“I put my bones back piece by piece, I steal the blood back from the beast.”
Eliza Delf: A rhythmic incantation based on a compelling hypnotic chant. The familiar is a soul-mate lost. The process of reclaiming and rebuilding one’s sense of self afterwards is described in visceral and elemental metaphors – this is not the simple act of dipping into a “self help guidebook” and “moving on”, this is venturing into the heart of the labyrinth to defeat the Minotaur.
Jon Loomes: Ritual and Rhythm have always been close associates and so this track is built on complex percussion elements. A hurdy-gurdy adds a cicada like buzz to the dancing beat, as Eliza incants and conjures, evokes and abjures, wrestling demons, and drawing an arcane power from within. Droning textures add a sense of tension to a spell that will ultimately conclude with silence. “When drums stop, very bad”, as every musician will tell you.
Lyrics
My Familiar
My familiar, my familiar.
I was found at the edge of a woman,
And left a little broken,
And a little bit saved,
Struck down and dazed,
Struck down and dazed.
My familiar, my familiar.
The thread that led you to me,
Was what I used to escape.
I walked out to the sunrise,
And looked for looking’s sake,
Looked for looking’s sake.
I put my bones back piece by piece,
I steal the blood back from the beast,
I take the most I give the least.
This woman will not fall.
My familiar, my familiar.
How safe it felt to be entwined,
You decide and I comply,
But here’s the break.
For my sake,
For my sake.
My familiar, my familiar.
That goodbye was against my will,
You took it and you hold it still.
I hope you hold it near,
I hope it hurts to hear,
I hope it hurts to hear.
I put my bones back piece by piece,
I steal the blood back from the beast,
I take the most I give the least.
This woman will not fall.
I put my bones back piece by piece,
I steal the blood back from the beast,
I take the most I give the least.
This woman will not fall.
© Eliza Delf 2022