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Author of My Own Misfortunes

by Danny Gruff

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1.
Welcome 01:11
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I could tell you of the time I was down Gravel in my gut, spit in my eye
And then you came and you tore all my walls down Ever since then, it’s you and I She came up and said If you need a place to rest your head Honey, you can lay with me And then she said
 Welcome to the promised land, you’re Welcome to the promised land You’re dipping your toes, take a look around Welcome to the promised land, you’re Welcome to the promised land
If you don’t know who you are You’ll figure it out
2.
Road Less Travelled 04:13
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I don’t think I’d believe you, even if it was the truth There’s something in your eyes, the way you look
I just cannot take And I don’t think that I know half the life that came before Manipulating facts don’t make it right This bed you have made And all the time you could’ve tried to feed me anything but lies You didn’t, no you just ran So I’m calling you out now and I’ve gotta tell you how
I never expected anything else but for you to let me down So I figured it out now, but secretly I thought somehow You’d come and surprise me one day
 But I know better now There’s a fear that I get, just keeps running through my head Keep thinking that I’m just the same, a hypocrite I’ve become And all the times I could’ve lied I rose above and testified You didn’t, no you just ran Please won’t you take me to the road that’s less travelled ‘Cos I’m feeling burned out from riding in this rough terrain To the grass which is greener, ‘cos I just can’t seem to Shake how I’m feeling, I’m tired of feeling this way
3.
Pariah 03:21
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See me, the Pariah standing in the firing line I don’t need, don’t need no Messiah Telling me that I’ll be fine I can see blue skies, but for now I’ve gotta brave the rain I see you, headed for me, nobody there to hold you back This old play’s getting boring
Beat me till I’m blue and black I can see sunshine, but for now I’ve gotta brave the storm I’m more, more than just a number I’ll take rain and turn it into thunder Waiting for the moment to shine I’ve spent days walking on the tightrope Bloodstains all over my clothes
Waiting for the phoenix to rise It’s coming up See me, backed into a corner, should’ve read the warning signs It’s like breathing under the water It’s the same all the time I’ll see the sunrise, but for now I’ve gotta brave the night I’ve been down lying on the pavement Fists clenched, looking for a saviour Wipe the dirt right out of my eyes It’s felt like my back’s against the ropes Bloodstains all over my clothes Waiting for the phoenix to rise It’s coming up
4.
Princes and Paupers 03:11
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Why don’t you come closer? Close enough that you can hear me whisper
I wish that we could get away together To somewhere we can drown out all the noise Of these princes treating us like paupers Because they placed us At the bottom of a pecking order Who cares? You know I don’t as long as you’re around When we were 17, they brought us down and hung us out to dry ‘Cos we were so naïve
I said we should just leave it all, why don’t we just leave it all? Surrounded by people wondering Why I was invited to this house of suits and jackets Who cares? You know I don’t as long as you’re around All these kings and queens They bring us down and hang us out to dry Let’s find some room to breathe
Let’s find some room to leave it all Why don’t we just leave it all? For another life, for another life I said we should just leave it all For another life, for another life Looking back now I can see
I’m at my best when you’re with me
5.
Wicker Man 03:43
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I saw you riding shotgun, out with your brother’s best friend Said you got a score to settle with the medicine man Something in your face has changed, and I don’t understand it Don’t you walk away I used to know you better than the back of my hand You spend your life burning fires in the night Then you burn yourself out come the morning light Worrying, I feel sickened to my skin Praying that the telephone won’t ring, again Is there someone watching over you? Makes you question every little thing you do There’s gotta be a better way to wrestle with the bogeyman I know you’ve got a lot of fight
There’s every chance you’re gonna get this one life right Don’t give up on yourself when it’s all in your hands You spend your nights, trying to reach the highest heights Then you burn yourself out with your appetite I can’t get no rest, my heart beats through my chest Loving you is torture at its best Again, again I saw you riding shotgun, you asked me if I wanna come along But you don’t need me to help you burn another Wicker Man
6.
Cold Arms 04:16
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For god’s sake woman, won’t you throw your arms round me? I wanna know how it feels to be loved
I’m scared that I’m becoming the man I never thought I’d be Hell-bent on riding my luck I would walk barefoot around you If I didn’t think I’d cut myself On eggshells, I’ve made up in my head There’s a minefield that I’m running through Hoping to get through to you At night, I find myself in your cold arms instead I never noticed the porch light on before It creeps through my window, to my bedroom floor It keeps me up, keeps me up and I can’t sleep See I need the distraction constantly My heart, my love is a mighty cross to bear
7.
Author of My Own Misfortunes 03:43
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I’ve spun the story a thousand times, the record’s getting old I’m going down down down down down, maybe I’m wrong I’m not the kicking and screaming type My blood’s been boiling cold I’ll bring this round round round round round, Just gotta be strong I always said I’d go down fighting, but lately I’ve lost my fight I’m the author of my own misfortunes and I I get the feeling that I’m a twenty-something tragedy I’m just trying to cut my teeth, I just need more time I get the feeling that I’m growing old disgracefully If only I was seventeen again, I’d be fine Instead of making excuses, should probably stop making mistakes I’m going down down down down down, maybe I’m wrong Drinking whiskey in hotel rooms, staying out till late I’ll bring this round round round round round Just gotta be strong, gotta be strong, I just gotta be strong
8.
Don't Cost a Thing 03:16
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There’s times when I’ve felt lonely There’s times when I’ve felt scared There’s times I’ve felt this world Can be too much to bear And I know there are people all across this land Who sometimes just need a helping hand So try a little kindness along the way It don’t cost a thing To try and make somebody’s day It don’t cost a thing There’s times when I don’t practise All the worlds I preach And I surround myself with darkness So much that I can’t see Yeah I know there are people less fortunate than I So I’ll try, yeah I’ll try to sympathise
9.
Forgive Forget 04:42
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I didn’t come here to be sat down I won’t be your beck and call every time you need me around We don’t talk like we should I can’t read between the lines though sometimes I, I wish I could Now I’m standing in a crowded room I can’t hear myself think No, the voice inside my head won’t let me quit Another sore resentment, I’m unlikely to forget Let’s talk this through tonight Forgive, forget I’m so tired but I can’t sleep And my eyes lids weigh a ton My pounding heart is skipping beats Pillow talks, unspoken words No sleep at all, it don’t make sense to me But I think it can’t get worse Now I’m standing in a silent room
I can’t hear myself think No, the voice inside my head won’t let me quit Now I’m running through a graveyard Just so I can feel alive Forgive, forget, let’s talk this through tonight I don’t like sleeping on my own I hear each creek inside this home No choice of words could make this right Just come on home, forgive forget tonight Forgive forget, forgive forget
10.
Gregory The Great 04:01
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Lately, I’ve been wasting time
 Watching the world through solemn eyes And what I see, it brings me down Down to my knees, god help me now I went searching for Saint Christopher, to find that he’s at home Saint Valentine was sipping wine at the bar alone And these patron saints don’t seem the same As the ones we’ve always known So god help me now, god help me now If you’re listening, I’m waiting to be found I need to see that there’s still hope ‘Cos I can’t breathe through clouds of smoke Why do we hurt the ones we love? We need to learn to rise above Saint Lawrence lost his confidence, now he don’t laugh anymore And Joan of Arc was in the dark, Isabella caused a war And these patron saints don’t seem the same
 As the ones we knew before So god help me now, god help me now If you’re listening, I’m waiting to be found
11.
Hard Times 03:33
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Let us pause in life’s pleasures and count its many tears While we all sup sorrow with the poor There’s a song that will linger forever in our ears O, hard times come again no more There’s a song, sigh of the weary Hard times, hard times come again no more Many days you have lingered around my cabin door O hard times come again no more While we seek mirth and beauty, and music light and gay They’re frail forms fainting at the door Though the voices are silent, their pleading looks will say O, hard times come again no more There’s a song, sigh of the weary Hard times, hard times come again no more Many days you have lingered around my cabin door O hard times come again no more

about

If I'm honest, I didn't plan on releasing my second album during a global pandemic, but here we are. 


My debut album was released almost 3 years ago and it opened the doors for a lot of great stuff in my career. The album itself has racked up over half a million individual track streams, a couple of singles topped the Amazing Radio Charts, received national radio play and allowed me to play a few sold out tours of the UK. During this time and previously, you may have also found me opening shows for the likes of James Bourne (Busted/Son of Dork), Jaret Reddick (Bowling For Soup), Bastille, Lawson, Beans on Toast, Frank Turner, McFly as well as many more. 

My plan with the new album was to create something bigger, bolder and more cohesive than my first album. Without using the career ending term 'Concept Album', my latest release 'Author Of My Own Misfortunes' follows a similar theme throughout the album and is created to take the listener on a journey. The songs were written in London where I spent 5 years of my life before moving to Manchester. 

To pick out a few, the first single 'Princes and Paupers' was written about my experiences of going to networking events, where everybody was trying to gain something from everybody else. It was at these events, where I realised I'd rather be spending time with my real friends than trying to impress someone else. Since I released this song in February, it's racked up almost 50, 000 streams and actually managed to find its way into the official UK charts. Granted, it placed at 10,176. But still, a UK chart position. 

The song 'Don't Cost a Thing' was written about trying to be kind to one another during a time when it's needed. This song was released on March 27th and has acted as an anthem for some people during the COVID-19 crisis. 

The album itself takes influence from artists such as Bruce Springsteen, The Killers, Gaslight Anthem and Stereophonics. Along with producer Andy Hawkins, we aimed to create something unique and I believe we've done that. At the time of writing and recording, the world seemed to be going through a transition period and I was worried about the future. I also had a fear that when the album was released that these worries would be outdated, but here we are. 

credits

released April 3, 2020

Produced by Andy Hawkins

Recorded at The Nave (Leeds), Airtight Studios (Manchester) and New Barns Home Studio (Manchester)

Mastered by Dave Draper (@voltadave)

All songs written by Danny Gruff except track 11 written by Stephen Foster

Co writers: Jack Rosies (Princes and Paupers), Lewis Fieldhouse (Wicker Man), Aislin Evans (Cold Arms), Lyza (Don't Cost a Thing), Joey Clarkson (Gregory The Great)

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Danny Gruff Manchester, UK

-Singer/Songwriter

-Welsh, Based in Manchester

-Likes Springsteen, The Killers, Gaslight Anthem and long walks in the country

-Got loads of music out*

-*Not enough. So I'm releasing One New Tune a Week throughout 2021 ... more

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