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When The Floodgates Open (Sep 2023)

by Mint Biscuit

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  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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  • Full Digital Discography

    26
    releases

    Get all 26 Mint Biscuit Sounds releases available on Bandcamp and save 90%.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Hot Moon, Heavy Breathing (May 2024), Acoustic Ones (Apr 2024), Unheralded Classics (Apr 2024), Crème De Menthe (Feb 2024), Magic Theatre (Jan 2024), Under Cathedral Skies (EP), The Blue Box (EP), and 18 more. , and , .

    Excludes supporter-only releases.

    Purchasable with gift card

      £12.85 GBP or more (90% OFF)

     

  • Compact Disc
    Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Single CD-R in a colour printed cardboard sleeve.
    Photography by Richard and Rachel Thomas.

    Includes unlimited streaming of When The Floodgates Open (Sep 2023) via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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1.
Tequila Pina Sunrise 03:24
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Tequila Pina Sunrise Well I'm stuck on a pineapple plantation It's the failure of the nation My friend's growing chicken And all he needs is drugs I could be up all night I got nothing to hide I say thank you To the Lord above The syndicate owns the farm Their job is to keep me warm They're the ones who didn't fail their Maths exam I'm working down on my knees Ask the Lord help me please Coz pineapple, ma'am Goes just lovely with ham I got rings around my eyes My Tequila Pina Sunrise I'm the author of My own demise I ask the Lord to take me away He tells me that I'm here all day Oh, and Richie Don't skimp on those fries!
2.
Somebody, Somewhere 02:50
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Somebody, Somewhere Well we had a little fun and now here we are You're slamming the door of my little old car You said you never really meant to go this far Well that's just fine See you're giving me the blues and you don't look back At the smoke that's rising from my chimney stack And you know how to use and you know how to act Well not this time Too bad that we used to say that we were in love Too bad that we really never took the time I'm sure you'll be alright when you head off down the road again Don't pay me no mind I'm sure that somebody somewhere wants your love I'm sure that somebody somewhere wants your mind Too bad that you're too scared to go out and give it You're not having mine I'm sure that somebody somewhere wants your heart I'm sure that somebody somewhere wants your mind Too bad that you're just too scared to come out and admit it You wasted my time Woah
3.
Cry, Cry, Cry 04:10
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Cry, Cry, Cry Said I'm gonna cry, cry, cry, cry If my baby don't come back to me soon Here I lie, lie, lie, lie By the light of the pale white moon All the people pass me by They can't see the tears in my eye And I'm wondering why, oh why Does my baby not return? Said I'm gonna cry, cry, cry, cry If my baby don't come back to me soon Here I lie, lie, lie, lie By the light of the pale white moon All the tears I cry They are falling now from my eye And I'm wondering why, oh why Does my baby not return? Said I'm gonna cry, cry, cry, cry If my baby don't come back to me soon Here I lie, lie, lie, lie By the light of the pale white moon All the tears I cry They are falling now from my eye And I'm wondering why, oh why Does my baby not return? She's only gone an hour ago, Richie She's headed out to the shops She's gone to get a packet of crisps And a bottle of pop! I'm gonna cry, cry, cry, cry All the tears gonna fall from my eyes And I'm gonna wonder why, oh why Will my baby come back to me soon?
4.
Annabelle's Driving Song 04:24
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Annabelle's Driving Song Aaah, aaah, aaah For a hundred miles ahead there's a desert track There's no turning off and there's no turning back Annabelle, you're coming along We're singing your driving song Got your hands on the wheel and the wind in your hair Where do you think you're going, do you even care? Annabelle, been driving so long We're singing your driving song We're on Safari with you We're on Safari with you We're on Safari with you Annabelle There's a rhino in the road and his face is a sight The zebra's not crossing but the tigers might Annabelle, Annabelle The snakes in the trees and the monkeys too There's more animals than a day at the zoo Annabelle, Annabelle We're on Safari with you For a hundred miles ahead there's a desert track There's no turning off and there's no turning back Annabelle, you're coming along We're singing your driving song We're on Safari with you We're on Safari with you We're on Safari with you We're on Safari with you We're on Safari with you We're on Safari with you Annabelle, Annabelle Annabelle, Annabelle Got your hands on the wheel and the wind in your hair Where do you think you're going, do you even care? Annabelle, been driving so long Driving so long
5.
Morning Song 03:07
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Morning Song You know the reason babe why I love you Because you make all my dreams come true If I'm with you I know things can't go wrong See you in the morning with my morning song You know the reason babe why I love you You make me happy when I'm feeling blue With you I know that I will always belong See you in the morning with my morning song See you in the morning with my morning song When I get down and I feel so sad All the things I hear well they drive me mad You sit beside me and you hold my hand I feel like the luckiest guy in the land You know the reason babe why I love you You whisper softly all those words so true I've always known that you're my only one See you in the morning with my morning song See you in the morning with my morning song See you in the morning with my morning song You know the reason babe why I love you Because you make all my dreams come true If I'm with you I know things can't go wrong See you in the morning with my morning song
6.
Slide In Baby 03:17
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Slide In Baby Slide in baby, and settle down We've been running all over town Ain't no point in just fooling around Gotta get married someday Gotta get married someday Gotta get married someday Now let's just hit the hay Slide in baby, and don't you cry All the neighbours will wonder why I'm gonna love you until we die Gonna get married someday Take the time to see what we've got Take a drink, yeah that hits the spot Take me on, ready or not We're gonna get married someday Slide in baby, and settle down We've been running, yeah, all over the town Ain't no point in just fooling around We've gotta get married someday We've gotta get married someday
7.
Washover 04:39
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Washover The temperature’s dropped, noise stopped, barometer’s fallen Sunrays poke their own way through the gloom The wilderness and the emptiness are calling You’ll never get out, if you don’t get out there soon And round this time of year, you gain a primal yearning And it burns just like the fires upon the fell The colours of your youth they are returning Wash over the gates of God with the flames of Hell And who’s to say, you’ll end up (swimming) backwards For you the current flows far too strong You’ve never lacked in passion, you’ve never lacked lust And who’s to tell you that, that sort of thing is wrong? So watch over me tonight and I just might Washover you So watch over me tonight and I just might Do anything you do Anything you do Do anything you do Do anything you do Anything you do Round this time of year, you begin to get crestfallen You say there’s just so much you have to do And ain't it easy to get down when things get boring But then you work out exactly what is true to you So watch over me tonight and I just might Washover you (washover you) So watch over me tonight and I just might Do anything you do Anything you wanna do Anything… Washover you Washover you Round this time of year Yeah, round this time of year Round this time of year
8.
Coated In Mud 05:29
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Coated In Mud You throw the mud It's the mud that sticks You got enough mud for a wall of bricks Well I'm sick of you and all your tricks You're an evil man You're an evil man You're an evil man Draw a line in the sand Well sticks and stones May break my bones But your mud will never hurt me And if I was asked to put it into words Well words desert me Well words desert me You cannot hurt me Aaahh As you prepare With your gun in the air To fire off another salvo of abuse There's a hole in your bucket of hate You're leaking like a weak excuse Like a weak excuse Oh what's the use Oh what's the use Oh what's the use Oh what's the use Aaahh Well everybody knows all you want is a war Yeah everybody knows who you're fighting for You're aiming your bombs at a distant shore And your guns at the guy next door At the guy next door Aaahh Aaahh Aaahh Aaahh Well sticks and stones May break my bones But your mud will never hurt me And if I was asked to put it into words You cannot hurt me
9.
Great Expectations 03:14
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Great Expectations Said I was trapped by my education I was ensnared by your love I was haunted by the memory of my mother crying out And I swore it wouldn’t happen again I was headhunted by the armed forces And exploited by the powers that be Everyone wanted a piece of my pie They were all out to take advantage of me I was bound by expectation And I was crushed by the words of a friend I was chained to my bed by a glandular disease And I swore it wouldn’t happen again I had all the potential of the next big thing But I was easily and horribly led I never could make up my goddamn mind And I never could get out of bed I was caught in a dream of stardom And held down by depression and greed I was lost in a whirl of information and girls And I had all that a boy could need I spent my life in sin and misery At the house of Trevelyan I never could see the distinction between Beating yourself up, and having fun Said I was trapped by my education I was ensnared by your love I was haunted by the memory of my mother crying out And I swore it wouldn’t happen again
10.
Some People, Eh 04:30
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Some People, Eh Some people blame me for the Internet Some people blame me for the War Some people seem to think that I'm responsible For the way things ain't just like they were before Some people think I should be sorry Some people think I should be dead Some people think that maybe I should go and get some help With all the voices in my head I've given up going out to work I've given up driving in my car I just don't know what I can do Except keep on strumming on my guitar I've given up going out to work I've given up driving in my car I just don't know what I can do... Some people think it's all my fault That England didn't win the World Cup Some people say that I'm a hypocrite And I should just go and help my wife tidy up Some people hate me coz I'm rich And others seem to hate me because I'm poor Some people think I'm directly responsible For the fact things just ain't like they were before Some people hate me coz I'm Welsh Or for where I grew up or went to school Some people seem to think that I'm a thief And that I'm breaking some kind of rule I've given up going out to work Well I've given up driving in my car I just don't know what I can do Except keep on, on strumming on my guitar I've given up going out to work And I've given up driving in my car I just don't know what I can do Except keep on strumming on my guitar
11.
Arthur, It Is! 04:11
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Arthur, It Is! Over the road There hopped a toad The wrinkles on his back were all Grey, green and gold Over the hill He stands there still The mission of his journey was Meant to do me ill Arthur was his name Poison was his game The venom he delivered Burnt like a flickering flame Arthur was his name Poison was his game The venom he delivered Burnt like a flickering flame Arthur was his name Poison was his game The venom he delivered Burnt like a flickering flame Over the road There hopped a toad The wrinkles on his back were all Grey, green and gold Over the field Arthur would not yield The wickedness of his purpose was Still to be revealed Arthur was his name Poison was his game The venom he delivered Burnt like a flickering flame Go away, Arthur! Be gone! Hop off, Arthur! Go away! That's the last I want to see of you, Arthur You poisonous toad Yeah, goodbye, Arthur!
12.
When The Floodgates Open 04:40
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When The Floodgates Open When the floodgates open And the water comes pouring through Panic descends upon the town Get your boots on There's work to be done But be careful, best not to drown The walls are overwhelmed And the bridges are dammed And traffic cannot get through When the floodgates open There will be no more dry land And the lambs are in trouble, too Way ahead a helicopter circles and weaves And the rescue boats bob up and down When the floodgates open And the water comes pouring through Panic descends upon the town The walls are overwhelmed And the bridges are dammed And traffic cannot get through When the floodgates open And the water comes pouring through Panic descends upon the town (and the lambs are in trouble, too) When the floodgates open There will be no more dry land And panic descends upon the town Get your boots on There's work to be done But be careful, not to drown

about

When the floodgates open, and the water washes over, everything gets coated in mud, and we all cry, cry, cry.

The album kicks off with a trio of straight-ahead country rockers, one guy has the blues because of his job in a pizza shop, one because his lady keeps slamming the door of his li'l old car, and one because his girl has gone out to the shops and left him alone for five minutes.

A sweet little song for my niece, Annabelle, and then a pair of love songs for my darling wife, Rachel. An autumnal poem, then a song of defiance, words cannot hurt me.

A ballad about my student days, and a self-pitying verse about how everyone is on my back all the time. Finally, a song about a fictional poisonous toad, Arthur, and a spoken word piece about the floods in Cockermouth.

Mint Biscuit: When The Floodgates Open
Review by Hans Werksman of herecomestheflood.com

"Welsh guitarist Richard Thomas keeps it close to home on When The Floodgates Open, an album by his one-man band project Mint Biscuit, featuring songs for his niece (Annabelle's Driving Song), his wife, and people stuck in a dead end job. He sticks to country-tinged rock and blues mostly, his go-to genres for storytelling songs about love, missed opportunities, longing for the long gone days at university, and getting back on his feet again.

The odd one out is a song about a fictional poisonous toad, Arthur, It Is!. Maybe that creature sprang to mind as he remembered watching his town Cockermouth being knee-deep in water in 2009. Thomas once again proves that he is an avid chronicler, whose prolificacy enables him to capture it in words and music".

credits

released September 8, 2023

All words, music and performance by Mint Biscuit (Richard Thomas).
Published by Mint Biscuit Sounds.
Cover photo by Rachel Thomas, of the 2009 floods in Cockermouth.

Tracks 1-2 are single takes, playing guitar and singing at the same time. Track 3 has both live and overdubbed vocals together.
Tracks 4-12 have a guitar part laid down and then overdubbed vocals.

"Great Expectations" released on the Aldora Britain Records compilation "River Come Down", 19/02/2024.

Sampled at 48000Hz.
Encoded at 24 bit PCM.

Total running time: 47:55

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Mint Biscuit Sounds Cockermouth, UK

Mint Biscuit -
Richard Thomas (Cockermouth, UK)

Rock, blues, indie, grunge, folk, psyche.

Songs and instrumentals.

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