Get all 26 Benjamin Russell releases available on Bandcamp and save 50%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Pleasure Center (2024), Brighter Light (2023), AMBIENT WHITE NOISE WAVES FOR SLEEP, Frontier (2023), Something In F Minor (2023), EG7 - The YELL Remixes (2022), Computerized Man #2 - 2022, Touch Me Inside - 2022, and 18 more.
1. |
This Skin
03:38
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This Skin - song by Elyce & Benjamin Russell (socan)
Some changes come from the outside in
The best ones come, though
From deep within
And I’ve been changing
Yeah really changing
And I believe
I’m ready to begin
To change this skin
So many memories, hopes and dreams
Have grown within me
And now it seems
That I’ve been changing
Yeah really changing
And I believe
I’m ready to begin
To change this skin
This skin, oh this skin
It doesn’t define me
It’s only the shape I have been
And now I am full
I am full up to bursting
I’m coming apart at the seam
This skin does not define me
It’s just the shape I've been
And now I'm full to bursting
I'm splitting at the seam
Not for the first time
And not the last
My future faces
Away from past
And I am grateful
Yeah, really grateful
And I believe
I’m ready to begin
To change this skin
This skin, oh this skin
It doesn’t define me
It’s only the shape I have been
And now I am full
I am full up to bursting
I’m coming apart at the seam
This skin does not define me
It’s just the shape I've been
And now I'm overflowing
I’m splitting at the seam
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2. |
I Am a Stranger
03:38
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I Am a Stranger - song by Elyce & Benjamin Russell (socan)
I am a stranger - I want to be your friend
I’m turning toward you, my heart wide open
And you could make me happy so easily
Just take my hand, my heart and me
I am a stranger but I am human too
And all of my difference will strengthen you
I’m asking you to join me, then we will see
A whole new world would be, could be
Bring down the wall of hurt and fear and pain
It’s personal, this invitation
To hope again
Bring down the wall of prejudice and shame
Listen to the call to rise
In hope again
I was a stranger, but not for long
We’re making a good start
Just singing this song
I was a stranger but I’m not any more
We’ve taken the first step
We’ve opened a door
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3. |
Sunshine Set Me Up
04:10
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Sunshine Set Me Up - song by Elyce & Benjamin Russell (socan)
Sunshine set me up for a moment of pain
Showed me happiness then hid it again
Gotta remember the vision inside
It’s like the weather, a cyclical ride
Don’t fly as high now and I don’t fall as low
Learned to balance how the moods come and go
Silenced the critic, well most of the time
A work in progress, but I know it’s mine
Sunlight will always return
Patience is something you learn
It’s OK, it’s all right
You don’t have to lose sight
Of everything you hold tight
And wait for the sunlight’s return
Not scared to feel now - I’m not locked in the pain
I am safe with you, can see you again
To be wide open to the air and the light
We’ve learned how to share and know that it’s right
Sunshine set me up for a moment of pain
Showed me happiness then hid it again
Sunlight will always return
Patience is something you learn
It’s OK, it’s all right
You don’t have to lose sight
Of everything you hold tight
And wait for the sunlight’s return
Sunlight will always return
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4. |
Quasimodo
03:53
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Quasimodo - song by Elyce & Benjamin Russell (socan)
He looks quite normal to you or me
His body’s straight enough and no-one can see
The curse that he carries is hidden away
It’s his conscience that’s crooked - oh, get down and pray
This poor devil has nowhere to go
Woe, oh, oh, woe, oh, oh, woe, oh, woe, Quasimodo
A monster from the future or maybe the past
His questioning eyes move a little too fast
A mind full of whirlpools, he could drag us all in
This man is dangerous - oh, watch out for him
He feels lonely like Vincent Van Gogh
Woe, oh, oh, woe, oh, oh, woe, oh, woe, Quasimodo
He knows that he’s different - he thinks it’s a sin
And who would disagree? He doesn’t fit in
He questions ev’rything - his mind full of doubt
He might be infectious - you’d better watch out
He needs someone to love him but no!
Woe, oh, oh, woe, oh, oh, woe, oh, woe, Quasimodo
He makes us uneasy, wakes our primal fear
His warped way of wond’ring is not welcome around here
We hate and fear this man with all of our might
Take the hint, Quasimodo - stay out of our sight
This poor devil has nowhere to go
Woe, oh, oh, woe, oh, oh, woe, oh, woe, Quasimodo
He feels lonely like Vincent Van Gogh
Woe, oh, oh, woe, oh, oh, woe, oh, woe, Quasimodo
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5. |
If
03:30
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If - song by Elyce & Benjamin Russell (socan)
What if you were never here?
If you pulled the thread, where would that have led?
Maybe you were born instead
In a good fam’ly, would you be happy?
What if you were not afraid?
If you started strong, where would you belong?
Would that make our love be wrong?
Or even exist - what would we have missed?
If you never knew me, how would your world change?
What would you be forced to rearrange?
I want to tell you now, I have had my fear
I don’t want to live without you near
Never think what might have been
Life is better now, we got through somehow
Made a promise, kept our vow
Glad we’re saved from cliffs - coulda woulda ifs
Coulda woulda if
Life is full of ifs
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6. |
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Blinded By Need - song by Elyce & Benjamin Russell (socan)
Over there in a corner, staring at the floor
There’s a man who doesn’t know what he came here for
He’s hiding in his silence - he doesn’t want to share
He’s sending off signals that say, "Don’t speak, beware!"
And if you talk to him he’ll pay no heed
He sees nothing but himself - he’s blinded by his need
There’s woman who’s laughing - she’s playing the fool
Scared to be herself, she acts dumb, but it’s a tool
She blocks it from her mind - she’s made it a rule
Not to show she’s a person - it wouldn’t be cool
And if you spoke to her, she’d pay no heed
She sees nothing but her fear - she’s blinded by her need
And the man over there with the voice you can’t miss
Is expounding on everything - he seems full of bliss
Or is he running from something - himself? Is he
Confusing human value for "personality"?
If you to talk to him - he’ll pay no heed
He sees nothing very clearly - he’s blinded by his need
What am I doing getting drunk with strangers?
I don’t know
At least it beats being all by myself
But does it though?
We could have been doing something fruitful
Maybe planting a seed
But we’re too unaware of each other
Blinded by need
Well, I thought that I could see so much more
I could see through the veils right down to the core
But I’m nervous tonight - I’ve a mask of my own
I’m not being myself - I should have stayed home
If you talk to me, I will pay no heed
'Cause I’m lost in a haze and I’m blinded by my need
Blinded by need
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7. |
Refuge
03:26
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Refuge - song by Elyce & Benjamin Russell (socan)
The street looks just like a set in a movie
Wet and shining in the night light’s glance
I’ve just been sprung from a late night shift
Looking for a cab but I don’t have a chance
The city’s deserted, no people, just cars
Cruising like sharks through the freezing rain
Though empty and hollow, it’s heavy as hell
The weight of this city could drive me insane
Chorus
And I long for the shelter I find in your arms
Safe from this city’s cruel lies
And I long for the refuge I find in your eyes
I don’t think I knew what heartbreak was
Till we were led here by my wandering soul
The promise I saw then now seems a mirage
Leading away from my elusive goal
Chorus
It’s raining, it’s cold, I’m tired and let down
Kept my head above water but it’s hard to do
You’re my island of peace in this blind concrete sea
I wish I were already home, warm with you
Chorus
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8. |
Word (You Make Me Feel)
03:22
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Word (You Make Me Feel) - song by Elyce & Benjamin Russell (socan)
You make me feel like I could live forever
Young and happy for all time
And who’s to say that could never happen?
When I’m with you I feel so fine
I feel like I could climb up any mountain
See as far as I could see
Oh, I could fly right now across the ocean
When I’m with you I feel so free
Chorus: Just say the word (word!) and I’ll answer
With the beating of my heart
I won’t forget (no!) I’ll remember
That you’re a living work of art
Just say the word (word!) and I’ll answer
With the beating of my heart
Don’t you forget (no!) you’ll remember
How much I’ve loved you from the start
You open up a place so far inside me
I didn’t know that it was there
Not afraid to show my deepest feelings
Didn’t know how much I could care
Chorus
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9. |
In the Zone
04:02
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In the Zone - song by Elyce & Benjamin Russell (socan)
There is the sun
Filtered through the trees
Slanting through the leaves
To the path beneath
I see you steps ahead turn back and look
Smiling at me
Alone in company
We set each other free
We’re in the zone
A long way from home
Mountains in the fall
We make them our own
There’s no one else around
That we can see
Just you and me
Alone in company
We climb on peacefully
Timeless memories, you make them with me
I can hardly believe, each time we leave
How different the same place can be
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10. |
The Magnificent Sky
03:02
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The Magnificent Sky - song by Elyce & Benjamin Russell (socan)
I've been up and I've been down
I've had my face rubbed in the ground
But I can laugh though I still cry
Listen close, I'll tell you why
There's a force that we can't see
It touches you, it touches me
But we can glimpse it if we try
In the magnificent sky
The magnificent sky
It's so big, it's so wide
Makes me feel so small but high
The magnificent sky
I've heard the truth and I've heard lies
I've heard my share of alibis
I've hid my head down in the sand
I've struggled hard to understand
But through it all one thing is clear
If you don't listen, you won't hear
If you don't ask, you won't know why
Ask the magnificent sky
The magnificent sky
It's so big, it's so wide
Makes me feel so small but high
The magnificent sky
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11. |
Alone
03:26
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Alone - song by Elyce & Benjamin Russell (socan)
Winter sky was so clear and high, the pale moon hung low
Sun was bright but its thin sharp light - a crystal glow
Ice and snow are all I know, as far as I can see
No one there, I’m all alone, all by myself, just me
Far away the horizon lay, blending into sky
Hard to say on that Solstice day, yet I would try
I don’t know which way to go, no track that I can see
No one there, I’m all alone, all by myself, just me
I am not lonely alone, working things out on my own
Doing it consciously, making a choice, finding a space for my inner voice
It’s OK, I know today, my path is not yet clear
Even though I’m here alone, I’m crossing this frontier
Doing it consciously, making a choice
Finding the space for my inner voice
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12. |
Bent Old Man and Mule
03:00
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Bent Old Man and Mule - song by Elyce & Benjamin Russell (socan)
Pale wind blows 'cross the mountain side
'Cross cliffs and ragged trees
In haunting lisps it whispers as
It moves dry grass and leaves
Through chill grey early evening
Comes a bent old man and mule
This land shall soon know winter
They come in search of fuel
His back grown old and twisted
A gnarled tree among the stones
But there’s solid strength within him
He feels peaceful in his bones
Never left this land to roam
Never seen a city street
He feels no lack or emptiness
His touch with life complete
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13. |
Charlie Coming Down
04:00
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Charilie Coming Down
Benjamin Russell
He felt like Charlie coming down
From on high toward the ground
Going back to being stupid
But not happy now he knew it
Knowing just how far he'd seen
But already losing memory
Aware that he was more, no more
Charlie coming down
From a peak toward the ground
Addicted to the highs, was he unwise
To try to rise?
Fear of falling kept him from the height
But at night he dreamed of precipice
Mountain top and cliff
He fell, and fell, and fell
Until he learned to fly
Charlie coming down...
Fear of failing kept him on the ground
Until he learned to fly
Charlie coming down...
Until he learns to fly
Charlie coming down
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Benjamin Russell Montreal, Québec
Benjamin Russell is a multi-genre singer-songwriter, painter, graphic artist, videographer, writer living in Montreal, Quebec.
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