Cooper's sophomore album, "Family Tree: The Roots" was released in October 2011. It is the first of the trilogy record called "The Family Tree" which follows the story of a fictional family from 1800 to 1950. Following "The Roots" will be "The Branches" and "The Relatives" respectively.
In between his first two Radical Face records Ben released two EP's to fill the gap. The first was "Touch The Sky". In the summer of 2011 "The Bastards Volume 1" EP was released. Other volumes will compliment the fore-coming Family Tree trilogy.
Under his 'Radical Face' moniker his music features acoustic guitar, "found-sound" percussion, and many multi-layered tracks. The sound is incredibly unique, not only because of Cooper's originality and raw talent, but also because most of the music has traditionally been recorded in the shed in his backyard.
Website: www.radicalface.com
A Pound of Flesh
Radical Face Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From light to dawn
My empty belly and my body aches
Ain't hard to take
Next to the weight
I carry in my chest
A pound of flesh
I should have stayed
But I was never wise
I hear your voices in the wind that cuts the night
And I pray to whatever is listening things'll be all right
Oh, my boy, you're alive
Your heart's still beating
So don't you mind, don't you mind
We all drift sometimes
I can still hear your feet as you ran from the house
Knowing you won't be back doesn't mean that I will stop waiting
You told me then, hold me down, hold me up to the fire
But don't you dare hold me back
Whoa
I see your face's in the clouds that scar the night
And I pray to whoever is listening things'll be all right
Then today I wake up feeling easy
And find I'm on the more familiar roads
I got a darkness wrapped inside me
But now it ain't so hard to let it go
So keep a candle burning in the window
I'm almost home
The first verse of Radical Face's A Pound of Flesh talks about the physical and emotional pain that the singer's character is going through. He walks all day without food and is physically exhausted, but that is nothing compared to the weight he carries in his heart - a metaphorical "pound of flesh." Despite all this, he's hopeful and keeps moving forward. He hears voices that remind him of his past and he prays for things to be alright.
The second verse is more reflective in nature, with the singer reminiscing about the past. He remembers someone he cares about who left and isn't coming back, but he can't stop waiting. There's an element of regret and longing in his voice, as he thinks about the things he wishes he could have said or done. The chorus reassures him that everything will be okay and reminds him that he's not alone in his struggles.
Overall, A Pound of Flesh is a song about the pain and hardships of life, but also about hope and perseverance in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
My feet plow on
I continue to walk forward
From light to dawn
From day to night
My empty belly and my body aches
I am hungry and my body is in pain
Ain't hard to take
It's something I'm used to
Next to the weight
Compared to the heavy burden I carry
I carry in my chest
I hold a deep emotional pain
A pound of flesh
A weighty amount of emotional pain
Could never tip the scale that I've made
My pain is so great, it cannot be measured on a normal scale
I should have stayed
I regret leaving
But I was never wise
I always made foolish decisions
I hear your voices in the wind that cuts the night
I remember the sound of your voice in the cold, harsh wind
And I pray to whatever is listening things'll be all right
I hope that someone out there will hear my prayers and help me through this tough time
Oh, my boy, you're alive
I'm grateful that you're still alive
Your heart's still beating
You're still alive and well
So don't you mind, don't you mind
You don't have to worry
We all drift sometimes
Everyone loses their way occasionally
I can still hear your feet as you ran from the house
I remember the sound of your footsteps as you left the house
Knowing you won't be back doesn't mean that I will stop waiting
Even though I know you won't come back, I will still wait for you
You told me then, hold me down, hold me up to the fire
You asked me to support you through difficult times
But don't you dare hold me back
Don't keep me from moving forward
I see your face's in the clouds that scar the night
I see your face in the dark clouds above
And I pray to whoever is listening things'll be all right
I hope that someone is listening to my prayers and will help me through this
Then today I wake up feeling easy
Today I feel at peace
And find I'm on the more familiar roads
I find myself travelling on more familiar paths
I got a darkness wrapped inside me
I hold a deep emotional pain within me
But now it ain't so hard to let it go
It's becoming easier to let go of the pain
So keep a candle burning in the window
Keep a light on, I'm almost home
I'm almost home
I'm almost at my destination
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: BENJAMIN P COOPER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Cody Lakin
The first ten songs I discovered from these guys, within the past twenty minutes, I thought okay, this is just a good streak from a band that's pretty amazing. Ten more songs later and I'm floored. Not a single song I haven't loved
lifexlovexlivin
@Cody Lakin the amazing part is that he plays most of the instruments (tho I know his brother's been playing a lot with him recently) AND records/produces it all on his own.
lifexlovexlivin
@Cody Lakin the amazing part is that he plays most of the instruments (tho I know his brother's been playing a lot with him recently) AND records/produces it all on his own.
NikmooneyAU2010
Ben Cooper creates the most phenomenal music and has some of the most resonating lyrics I've ever heard. Even if you pirate your entire music collection, buy this f*cking album, because in my mind he's a genius and deserves every penny for releasing these tracks on his own
Barbi Jackson
This band is amazing! I absolutely love their music. I can't believe this has been out and I have missed it. Thank you for these beautiful sounds and touching lyrics!!!
Logan Hooczko
10 years later and still a masterpiece
Thomas Sault
That is a great way to describe these songs ! It's amazing how music can move you and change your emotions and make you feel warm inside ;)
Sadowski
I'm considering bying the CD. Never really bought music before, but this is definitely worth it.
Clayton Nash
I love this music, it makes you think about yourself so deeply... but in a positive way.
Romalvx
Great music and compelling lyrics.