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Neil Halstead — Little Twig
Album: Oh! Mighty Engine
Avg rating:
6.5

Your rating:
Total ratings: 815









Released: 2008
Length: 3:32
Plays (last 30 days): 3
I'm counting all the steps right back to you
Little twig, you are a fig
Ment of me
Or is it you

Your bicycle makes trouble for us all
Got no brakes
You got the shakes
And little boys well they drop their toys
When you fly past..yes they do

The art of living well is not just choice
It's down to luck and often who you .. Trust
Oh little twig you do trust well,
You do trust well

Seagulls on the roof
Have kept me wide-awake and pale
In case I fail
To sleep again
To dream of you
To take my turn on some thing new

Mudguard in a flap and chain is slack
Tyres are flat
Oh little twig you rattle past
Like a can of nails on an angels tail
Yes you do

Sunday morning papers say you failed
To make it through
Oh little twig
Can this be true?
Can this be true?
Can this be true?
Comments (60)add comment
 ciarataylor wrote:

Not a fan of whistled “s”.  Sounds like a speech impediment and sets one’s teeth on edge. Meh. 🫤 Rates a 5



Its known as "Sibilance"
Not a fan of whistled “s”.  Sounds like a speech impediment and sets one’s teeth on edge. Meh. 🫤 Rates a 5
Love these lyrics!
 keenevision wrote:

For a few heartbeats I thought it was a Elliott Smith! Very nice.



also a tiny bit like José González
 Chrisjea wrote:

I either need PSD or LSD


Eh, just grab a PBR and some THC instead.
Very nice!
For a few heartbeats I thought it was a Elliott Smith! Very nice.
Oh! What a lovely discovery.
For whatever reason, I really connected with this song. Gentle, sweet - beautiful.
Initially, I had it pegged as Nick Drake.
Thanks for bringing it to my attention, RP!
Another Nick Drake wanna be
This is REALLY a nice little tune!  Good job Neil!
I need like more of this. Nice folky tunes.
I either need PSD or LSD
He almost lost me at "little twig, you are a fig" (spectacularly dumb). Then completely lost me at the whistle. 
 zair99 wrote:

I found myself a bit distracted by that as well!  Especially the delayed gap-toothed whistles on the ends of a few phrases.  I wouldn't say I hate it, but it does distract from an otherwise very nice song.
 
Exactly! {#Clap}
According to other ratings, if Beatles were playing it, the song would be a 9.

 Sloggydog wrote:
I already liked it but when i see this geezer is from Luton (that's Lu'on to those who know) just down the road from where i live i decided he needed more credit.
 
He's from Lu'on? Well, encoulez mes vieilles bottes! So the town of the Hatters has produced yet another crap singer to follow in Paul Young's footsteps? Do Loo'n's contributions to world culture never cease?

I spent much of my childhood in that dull sh1tehole, and was never happier than when I finally escaped its turgid clutches. It's no surprise that it was voted a Crap Town of the Year. Truly a Town Called Malice full of white van men and knuckledragging racists. The best thing about Loo'n is the M1 going Northbound. Devoid of charm, culture or any distinctiveness, it's just another dormitory town for Lahndan, and  makes Milton Keynes look positively quaint and characterful.

Apologies to those outside England who may well be scratching their bonces at this. Just believe me when I say that Luton does not, and will never, have a Tourist office.

 SwampYankee wrote:
Whenever I hear this tune, I think of Pink Floyd. Anyone else?
 
I think of pink nighties.

The shoegazers are alright with me. Saw him live recently in a tiny club. It was, er, mellow.

I already liked it but when i see this geezer is from Luton (that's Lu'on to those who know) just down the road from where i live i decided he needed more credit.
 WayUpNorth wrote:
Yup, and Nick Drake ... in a good way.  Don't know what he's actually referring to as Little Twig but with the sweet mood of the music it brings to mind my sons ...{#Roflol}
 
Me too but sometimes my dad called me little twirp ... close I guess
 SwampYankee wrote:
Whenever I hear this tune, I think of Pink Floyd. Anyone else?
  Yup, and Nick Drake ... in a good way.  Don't know what he's actually referring to as Little Twig but with the sweet mood of the music it brings to mind my sons ...{#Roflol}


Slightly.  Ummagumma period.
 SwampYankee wrote:Whenever I hear this tune, I think of Pink Floyd. Anyone else?

well, _that_ melody will be stuck in my head for a while.  Simple but quite nice
hm...   caught my ear again today (8/12).  I really like this.
 SwampYankee wrote:
Whenever I hear this tune, I think of Pink Floyd. Anyone else?
 
not really


It just wrings tears from my heart! {#Cry}Love love love it...
 Sloggydog wrote:
I like it.  A bloke born just round the corner from where i'm living.  I like it.  I see he's touring with Jack Johnson in August.  He has a similar sought of sound maybe tempered with a little of the sound of willy mason.
 

Sponsored by new Red Bull Max. 
I like it.  A bloke born just round the corner from where i'm living.  I like it.  I see he's touring with Jack Johnson in August.  He has a similar sought of sound maybe tempered with a little of the sound of willy mason.
this song always makes me stop whatever it is I'm doing and kind of 'zone' for awhile.
really raw
really beautiful
I'm starting to like this song, but I'm having trouble with this damn twig concept.
 Bine wrote:
I hate the way the singer "whistles" the S. Just sets my teeth on edge. 
 
I found myself a bit distracted by that as well!  Especially the delayed gap-toothed whistles on the ends of a few phrases.  I wouldn't say I hate it, but it does distract from an otherwise very nice song.
 von_Hayek wrote:

Yep!
 
I thought it was, until I checked.
 basketcase wrote:
Echoes of Nick Drake
 
Yep!

du-du-du-du-du-du du-du-du-du...tu-tu-tu du-du-du {#Sunny}
 BillG wrote:

Fixed.  Sorry about that.
 
Billy-G - you the man! 
The vocals, lyrics, guitar...all perfectly put together, one of my fave's~
He sounds a little like Nick Drake and that is definitely a good thing. With it's soft and breezy sound Neil lulls you into a false sense of security until the end when he drops the bomb...and you ask yourself what did he just sing? What happened to Little Twig? {#Cry}

 slippery wrote:
Is it just me or is bills copy of this song jagged?
Everytime I hear it his voice is being cut and the rythm jump a beat at the same spot.
 
Fixed.  Sorry about that.

Is it just me or is bills copy of this song jagged?
Everytime I hear it his voice is being cut and the rythm jump a beat at the same spot.
Whenever I hear this tune, I think of Pink Floyd. Anyone else?
Please make it stop{#Frustrated}
I am mystified by the low rating! I love this tune.

Someone (on RP? songmeanings.net?) has written about how difficult it is to write songs relevantly about the joys of having children... I guess I'm easily moved by the parental-love theme.
The one word which comes immediately to mind on hearing this song is: twee. Cute if you're in the mood for tweeness, but sadly the Nottingham jury isn't in that sort of mood at work, so it's a nailed on Ho-Hum.
I hate the way the singer "whistles" the S. Just sets my teeth on edge. I tend to imagine the skip makes the song shorter - which I think is a good thing...
 MojoJojo wrote:


 
Excruciatingly gentle.



 basketcase wrote:
Echoes of Nick Drake
 

I had the same thought. Pretty song, pretty voice.
 jagdriver wrote:
1 <== 2
 

Yep... a good time for a potty break after that rockin' last set.

Snow Patrol - The Lightning Strike
The Airborne Toxic Event - Sometime Around Midnight
Nico Stai - Dead Pony
1 <== 2
 basketcase wrote:
Echoes of Nick Drake
 

In voice only. Nick's guitar work stands alone as superb, unique, definitive.

Still this is quite likeable and a real smooth transition from Elliot Smith. Good work Bill Goldsmith.
 robco1 wrote:
I like his whistling tooth . . .
 
That makes one of us.........

And what's up with the skip???


 GawgaBoy wrote:
Was there a "skip" in there or just s network glitch on my stream?
 
I heard it as well. But I kinda liked the effect...

he is whistling or is he singing?
Echoes of Nick Drake
 GawgaBoy wrote:
Was there a "skip" in there or just s network glitch on my stream?
 
I heard it too - startling to say the least.

Made me wonder if my brother was throwing his baseball against our shared wall again just to make my old Silvertone stereo skip and make me yell at him.

Was there a "skip" in there or just s network glitch on my stream?
This is great, quite unique and yet still has a very familiar folky quality.

I like his whistling tooth . . .
 ArbiterOfGoodTaste wrote:
Is this a new album from Neil?
Edit: Looks like it came out in July, will have to check it out!

 
I have read very positive reviews of it but so far haven't checked it out myself. Should give it a listen; I like this song a lot.

Is this a new album from Neil?
Edit: Looks like it came out in July, will have to check it out!