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Lightfingers (with mandolinquent)


by

Rebsie

 Genre: Folk-Rock

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Description
We thought it was time we did an upbeat one, so here it is. A bright and happy song about ... er ... stealing from shops.

Rebsie: vocals
William: vocals, mandolin, violin, tin whistle, PETI harmonium, GB bass and drums.

Words and music by William.
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Lyrics
Despite her second class degree
In English and philosophy
She works the till at HMV
And dreams that some day she could be
Something better
Something wonderful

She spots this guy who casually
Flicks through the racks at A to B
He winks at her and smiles as he
grabs an Alabama 3
Off the shelf
Slips it in his shirt


La la la la la la lightfingers
La la lal la la light fing-ers
La la la la la la lightfingers
La la lal la la light fing-ers


So after work she leaves the store
And he is waiting by the door
Like he knows that he's going to score
She walks past and tries to ignore
that cocksure look
But he calls after

The club is empty; the dj
Plays This Year's Love by David Gray
You want to dance; he says no way
He doesn't have that much to say
But in the dark
His arm slips round her

Chorus

She works the till at HMV
And dreams of petty larceny
The way he was lightfingeredly
As she sells the next cd
Black Eyed Peas
14.99

She works the till at HMV
And sometimes, just occasionally
When she's sure that no one can see
She takes a disc by Bloc Party
off the shelf
Slips it in her bag

Chorus

Easy come easy go x 4

Chorus
Song Stats
Hits: 2724
Comments: 43
Fans: 16
Plays: 341
Downloads: 147
Votes: 25
Uploaded: Sep 18, 2005 - 11:02:03 AM
Last Updated: Nov 07, 2005 - 12:59:52 PM Last Played: Oct 09, 2009 - 02:31:33 PM
Song License
Creative Commons License:
Attribution-NoDerivs-NonCommercial

Creative Commons

Song Actions
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Hardware:
Mandolin, violin, whistle, an iBook and a G5
Software:
GB 1.1 and PETI software instruments
Comments
cjhoose said 1512 days ago (September 18th, 2005)
wow...
The sound is definately light ;) Love those airy harmonies.
Delightfully sneaky, you guys.
Check out my latest song called Julia
Rebsie said 1512 days ago (September 18th, 2005)
wow...
Hehe ... delighted you like it, cj.
Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)
jgurner said 1512 days ago (September 18th, 2005)
At least...
...he's stealing some pretty good stuff. Just think, maybe one
day someone will be lifting a Rebsie and Mando CD from a
local shop. When it comes to songs about petty theft, it
doesn't get any better than this. :)

It was wonderfully done. Loved the instrumentation, as
always. Lots of fun. Thanks guys!
Check out my latest song called Feeling Good Today
Epileptic Gibbon said 1511 days ago (September 19th, 2005)
At least...
If she's stealing a Bloc Party CD, seems to me like that's her punishment
as well as her crime! ;-)

---
"You never say please. You never say thank you."
"Please don't be an idiot. Thank you."
-- Bayliss and Pembleton
Check out my latest song called Fiddler Off the Roof w/Komrade K & Caroline
Rebsie said 1511 days ago (September 19th, 2005)
At least...
Always good to hear from you, jgurner! Thanks a lot for your nice comment.
Ha, we're certainly hoping the time will come when shoplifters across the
world are gleefully stuffing our CDs into their inside pockets. Fingers crossed!
Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)
caroline said 1512 days ago (September 18th, 2005)
okay the gig is up!! i confess!!!
la la la!!! have you two gone mad!!! i'm dancing here for censored's sake!!! willliam - that voice! it just get's better and better - fabulous - thank you both - as usual - one smile xxx
Check out my latest song called clink that link mjrf
Rebsie said 1511 days ago (September 19th, 2005)
okay the gig is up!! i confess!!!
Have we gone mad? Did you ever think we weren't?

Thanks for the nice words about William's voice ... I think he sounds great
too.
Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)
dwwave said 1512 days ago (September 18th, 2005)
Extraordinary!!!!!
This is one fabulous work!

Absolutely great lyrics,vocals, instrumentation, and use of
software instruments.

Very unique subject matter!

10's!

dwwave
Check out my latest song called One Half Person
Rebsie said 1511 days ago (September 19th, 2005)
Extraordinary!!!!!
Wow, that's really nice, David! Thank you so much. :-)
Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)
Cori Ander said 1512 days ago (September 18th, 2005)
Enjoyable
This one was really fun ... or not fun ... or fun ... well ...
enjoyable to listen to! Listened with an amused smile!

Seemingly a bagatelle it carries some sharp notice of details
of modern life .. man .. woman .. mind. A song of today.

Catchy melody and nice original way you sing. No reason at
all why this shoudn't be played daily at radio stations all
around the world.

This one stands out!
Rebsie said 1511 days ago (September 19th, 2005)
Enjoyable
Thank you, it's always a pleasure to get comments from you! Yes you're right,
the song does combine a light and fluffy melody with some of the less
savoury aspects of modern life - it's a contrast that appeals to us. Many
thanks!
Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)
said 1512 days ago (September 18th, 2005)
What a Wonderful Tune
Every part of my body that can curl into a smile has.
Rebsie said 1511 days ago (September 19th, 2005)
What a Wonderful Tune
Good ... you may look a bit odd walking down the street like that, but we're
very pleased anyway.
Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)
thetiler said 1512 days ago (September 18th, 2005)
De-"light" ful
It is a de-"light" :) of a story! You guys are makeing great use
of the art of folk music. Like how you can transport the
listener in time in story contexts. Interesting words and the
music jells nicely with words.

Thanks for sharing

Good going
Check out my latest song called The Bluebird Cafe (with two other guest)
Rebsie said 1511 days ago (September 19th, 2005)
De-"light" ful
Thanks a lot, Tiler! Always appreciated.
Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)
Leebo said 1512 days ago (September 18th, 2005)
Ahhh
Thanks guys

That made me smile. Loving the lyric "She works the till at
HMV / And dreams of petty larceny".

Nice tune, could just imagine listening to you play live in a
smoky pub in winter. Don't ask me why winter, you just
sound cosy!

The mix largely sucks, but it really doesn't matter.
Slapdash can be good, and in this case it certainly is.
Another pint of Fuggles Old Brainshagger please barman!
Check out my latest song called Bang Bang
Rebsie said 1512 days ago (September 18th, 2005)
Ahhh
Thanks Leebo, nice of you to listen and comment. Glad you like the song!

I really don't agree that the mix sucks though. I think it's good and tight and
captures the spirit of the song exactly as we wanted it.
Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)
Aussie John said 1511 days ago (September 19th, 2005)
Smiles
yes this song makes you smile. It has something special about it. Mind you I
have to agree that the mix could be better for instance the vocals get much
louder in the chorus compared to the verses an dsome of the interesting
instumentla things get lost.

---
Cheers
Check out my latest song called Season to Love
drakonis said 1512 days ago (September 18th, 2005)
classic-sounding
This sounds like one of those classic old folk tunes...
already made famous. Beautiful playing on flute, violin,
especially the mandolin, and really bouncy fun singing...
superb lyrics. Wonderfully orchestrated and mixed,
everything fit so well. Loved the ending, my only nit pick
would be that the final "wallet" line needs to be given
another 1/2 second before its said, it was too close to the
clapping and thus sounded "rehearsed." Given a slightly
longer pause & a tiny bit more uncertainty in the voice will
make it more spontaneous and much funnier, in my
opinion. Well, maybe that is so useless a suggestion its a
half-nit, but I couldn't come up with anything else, it is
great!
ttfn,
Drakonis
Check out my latest song called Temporal Tantrum (Sister Savage Mix)
drakonis said 1512 days ago (September 18th, 2005)
classic-sounding
This sounds like one of those classic old folk tunes...
already made famous. Beautiful playing on flute, violin,
especially the mandolin, and really bouncy fun singing...
superb lyrics. Wonderfully orchestrated and mixed,
everything fit so well. Loved the ending, my only nit pick
would be that the final "wallet" line needs to be given
another 1/2 second before its said, it was too close to the
clapping and thus sounded "rehearsed." Given a slightly
longer pause & a tiny bit more uncertainty in the voice will
make it more spontaneous and much funnier, in my
opinion. Well, maybe that is so useless a suggestion its a
half-nit, but I couldn't come up with anything else, it is
great!
ttfn,
Drakonis
Check out my latest song called Temporal Tantrum (Sister Savage Mix)
drakonis said 1512 days ago (September 18th, 2005)
2+2 = forebearance
OK, so two half nits equals a whole nit. Ack, call me the double poster-child.
-Drakonis

---
deja vu, it's the next best thing to being there
Check out my latest song called Temporal Tantrum (Sister Savage Mix)
Rebsie said 1509 days ago (September 21st, 2005)
2+2 = forebearance
Oh heck, now I don't know which one to reply to ...

Thanks for your really nice comment. Don't worry about not being able
to think of more than a half-nit (twice) ... we rarely go back and change
songs anyway once we've got them to the point where we're happy with
them. We just post music for the pleasure of sharing it, so if you enjoyed
it that's all that matters!
Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)
jiguma said 1512 days ago (September 19th, 2005)
a really happy smile-maker
Brilliant start! Tantalisingly light and airy with a hint of
something/someone I can't quite put my finger on. I'm
with Mungo on this - a really happy smile-maker!!
Very tasty!
Check out my latest song called Under My Skin
Rebsie said 1509 days ago (September 21st, 2005)
a really happy smile-maker
Delighted it put a smile on your face, jiguma! It's always a pleasure to
read your comments.
Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)
eltopo said 1511 days ago (September 19th, 2005)
You two are getting prolific now
Rando and rebs add melodies to die for to their box of
tricks. This comes over like a swaggering jig, if you can
have such a thing.

I can't think of too many songs about shopflisting -
'Fishing at Tescos' by Sensless Things, 'Shoplifters of the
world' by the Smiths or 'Shoplifting' by the Slits.

This is by far my favourite song about shoplifting.
Morrisey and Marr? Pah!

And it's the only song I know about graduate
underemployment, which is cool.
Check out my latest song called Gentrification (live)
Rebsie said 1509 days ago (September 21st, 2005)
You two are getting prolific now
Prolific? Yep, that's the idea. Not that we're obsessed or anything ...

We decided there weren't nearly enough songs in the world about small-
scale retail felony, so we're helping to redress the balance. Very glad you
like it, eltopo, your support is always appreciated. Swaggering jig - I like
that!
Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)
Cameron said 1511 days ago (September 19th, 2005)
summer of love
This sounds like something I'd hear in San Francisco's
Golden Gate park during the Summer of Love; it has a real
retro '60s folk feel.

This very pleasing combination of instruments creates a
sparkling wash of sound. You've brought a lot of nice little
musical touches here and there in the song, which add a
feeling of spontaneity, as though it is being performed
"live". The smell of freshly-mowed lawn wafting my
way.....

Occasionally the level of the vocals (especially in the lower
range) could be brought up a little more, but the
harmonies are very, very nice.

Rebsie, it's great to hear your voice (and William's) in a
more upbeat, almost pop setting here.

This is indeed a very happy, carefree song -- a welcome
addition to your growing collection of great pieces
together. I'm patiently waiting for your CD to come out!
Check out my latest song called EPONYM
Rebsie said 1507 days ago (September 23rd, 2005)
summer of love
I'm slightly too young (only slightly!) to remember the Summer of Love
but I'm glad it has that feel to it. I'm sure there was a lot of lawn-mowing
going on back then. We wanted this one to sound live and spontaneous,
so I'm pleased you mentioned that.

We have got enough tracks to make a CD now ... it's just a case of
deciding how to go about it and what we want to do with it. Your
confidence in our music does mean a lot to us! Thanks Cameron.
Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)
stevel said 1510 days ago (September 20th, 2005)
up (shop) lifting
Great track guys...kind of reminds me of when a school
friend caught nicking a Simple Minds album from
Woolworths. I think he ended up being more embarrassed
about the Simple Minds than the caution he received.
Great vocals on this...nice to hear Mando's voice a bit
more upfront than usual. Excellent
Steve
Check out my latest song called Electricity
Rebsie said 1507 days ago (September 23rd, 2005)
up (shop) lifting
Hehehe ... nice story, Steve! I'm not sure I'd want to nick any of the stuff
they sell in Woolworths, to be honest.
Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)
bronco said 1510 days ago (September 20th, 2005)
Floating in Bliss
It's been a tough day and this is just what I needed! Let
me just breathe some more of this good Texas air. Ah
yes, everything looks better now. You guys can do so
many different moods and I must say you are great at this
cheery, bouncy music that makes the most determined
cynic's mouth turn up at the edges and start to tap his
feet. William you have become a very good composer with
your changes in tempo and putting just the right touch of
the various instruments in there. Rebsie you are singing
beautifully as always(do you ever hit a bad note?)
Great job kids, rewards to come!
Check out my latest song called Strange Feeling
Mystified said 1510 days ago (September 20th, 2005)
Playful petty larceny
What I love about your collabs:
You are clearly enjoying yourselves
The lyrics/subject matter are unusual, sometimes quirky,
sometimes heartbreaking.
You incorporate interesting aural textures with a myriad
of instruments and gentle, pleasant harmonies.
You are confident and happy to be 'you' in your music--
and that's a wonderful thing.

Nice to have a change to the 'lighter' side here. Clever,
playful ending.

Fab :)

Check out my latest song called Forever Voyaging (space race 2009)
Film said 1509 days ago (September 21st, 2005)
Dance daquer
i feel like dancing with wolves on a semetary.
Pet semetary that is.
Lovely fingers stroke this indeed .
Maybe make a Flick of it?
Check out my latest song called Sew Me A Dress Of Your Soul
Komrade K said 1509 days ago (September 21st, 2005)
Whoops I need a heading before I post comment...
Wonderful tune, arrangement, lyrics and performances.
To my mind the mix is a bit iffy in places - however
(ignoring one or two places where the vocals sound as if
they're recorded in different venues) this track has a lot of
sponteneity with the energy and feel of a live performance
- and is a lot of Fun!

I particularly liked the way the combination of tin whistle,
fiddle and mandolin gives a very trad Irish feel during the
chorus - well done to you both. I just love your stuff!!!

KK
Check out my latest song called Borice
Tom Atwood said 1509 days ago (September 21st, 2005)
five-fingered-fun
Reminds me of my days growing up when my friends would enjoy a "five-finger-discount" at the 5 & 10. The candy never tasted sweeter. This wonderful piece seems to me a kind of companion to "Rebsie and the Man Next Door" (although the topic here - stealing - is less dark than suicide). You have turned thievery into pop music, and very funny, clever pop at that. This will balance some of the darker tunes when it joins them on your soon-to-be-released CD. When is the CD-release party by the way?

(Tobin's posts in the "manners 2" forum have made me reluctant to engage in any kind of inflated, insider voting, but how insidious can it be, really, to give this fine piece of work a generous score? Let's just pretend I don't know you. 10-9-10-10)
Check out my latest song called Keep Looking for Jesus (MJRF)
KineticBends said 1509 days ago (September 22nd, 2005)
check out
hey man
i think u guys sound alot like belle and sebatasin
if u have heard of them.
good job
Check out my latest song called Tangent Universe
beatrix said 1508 days ago (September 22nd, 2005)
Truly loved..
the happiness in this song!! I smiled all the way through it. William, I loved hearing you sing. You're sounding great!! And of course I enjoyed all your instruments very very much. As always, Rebsie, I love your voice. I could even sense your smile as you sang. Thank you for the song! ~L
billl said 1507 days ago (September 23rd, 2005)
Mandolin and Violin
Mandolin and Violin is a fantasic combo. Well performed and played.
The vocals are real proffesional.
Fantastic.
Check out my latest song called 1213
dreadmon said 1421 days ago (December 18th, 2005)
Nutty seven
With tunes like this, you guys should open for Madness! Well done, very enjoyable!
Check out my latest song called Dive!
screamalexz said 1398 days ago (January 10th, 2006)
nice
nice instrumental and vocals. should have started to listening to more of your tracks sooner, didn't realize how good they were. i like the vocal harmonies. the light fingers part amuses me.
Check out my latest song called Die (Album Version)
saymme said 419 days ago (September 15th, 2008)
( :
Back for second listens & dl : ) : ) (had it B4 but everything disappeared(had to delete everything & my computer didnt work well) GREAT to hear this again : ) !!! Love the beginning w the glasscrash LOL I remeber hearing that long ago HAHhahhahaha! This sounds so great w the mandolin .. I like the contrasts - btw the serious lyrics & the 'happy' production / music !!! LALAlalLLLALlaLLAlLlLALlalLaa ( ; You do so much fun & great stuff & COLLABS Rebsie .. KUDOS!!!!!!!!!! have a nice day : ) Lena

LunaTrick said 165 days ago (May 27th, 2009)
Interesting song...
Especially the band references... reminds me of my record store days!
Check out my latest song called Luna Gypsy Heart II (Eternal Firelight)
Rebsie said 165 days ago (May 27th, 2009)

You are too kind!
Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)
Artist Info
artist photo
Name: Rebsie Fairholm
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NEW ALBUM "SEVEN STAR GREEN" NOW AVAILABLE! I'm a singer and musician (12-string guitar, celtic harp, etc) rooted in British traditional music and veering off into the psychedelic, dark, experimental and unusual. I'm very blessed to have... [see more]

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Genre Info
Folk-rock is a musical genre, combining elements of folk music and rock music. In the original and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and Canada around the mid-1960s. The sound was epitomized by tight vocal

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