Cruel to be Kind

by Alexis Mahler

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mrmarkewoodward I love this. You voice is beautiful and unique. You string playing perfectly matches the softness of the song. Keep it up! ❤️ Favorite track: Cruel to be Kind.

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lyrics

I watched from a distance
as you lit up the room
surely I am not the only one
who sees the light that comes from you
and although you lost your voice out there
you found it in the gravel
by the road of dirt
that I have often traveled

oh, you wretched, vivid thing
please stay off my mind
don’t you know how cruel it is to be so kind?

all the jewel and fennel, coriander
you gathered where the brook meanders
past the fire hydrants, road signs and the phone lines
past the broken spigots, broken bricks
on broken brick roads we won’t fix
past schools and cemeteries, public libraries

well, you shook and took, forsook me like a storm that knew my name
a wind that grew until it blew the storm clouds all away

you wretched, vivid thing
please stay off my mind
don’t you know how cruel it is to be so kind

credits

released October 15, 2021
Alexis Mahler: cello, vocals
Mixed by Clara Baker at The Rye Room in Portland, OR
Mastered by Steffen Prentiss Yazvac (Minneapolis, MN)

Artwork: Nathan Peltier - @_garlique
Music and lyrics: John Isaac Davey

LBE.008

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about

Alexis Mahler Portland, Oregon

Alexis Mahler explores her softness through the dark and earthy colors of the cello, a somber strum comforted by delicate lyrics and playful melodies.

alexismahler.com

discography

clementine (demo)

Feb 2024
clementine

Feb 2024
night owl

Jul 2023
covers to keep you warm

Dec 2021
saint helens

Dec 2021
Cruel to be Kind

Oct 2021
away

Oct 2020
Low Moon

Nov 2018

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