Georgie: A long term fan of Stephen's writing, I have always wanted to collab with him! I had this song idea that I just couldn't get off the ground. I knew what I wanted from the concept but no idea how to approach it...But I knew a man who could! Luckily, Stephen was up for the challenge and exceeded all my expectations with these lyrics.
This song seeks to answer the question - how much time do we really have for the important things in life?
Stephen: Truth be told, commissions always make me a little nervous - trying to give someone what they want when neither of you are exactly sure what it is. I don't think my lyric was quite what Georgie was expecting, and the genre certainly isn't what I anticipated, and we've probably arrived at a point neither of us had conceived of when the invitation was extended. But that's a feature, not a bug.
'24 COINS'
2022 Georgie Cooper & Stephen Wort
All Rights Reserved
24 coins in a silver tower
Laid on a plate in the midnight hour
Hers for the treasures held in store
24 coins and not one more
The dreamer lay on a carpet deep
Chased the stars til morning light
And by her side, as still as sleep
Eight pieces faded in the night
24 coins in a silver tower
Laid on a plate in the midnight hour
Hers for the treasures held in store
24 coins and not one more
She sat down to her table for
The strength to face the coming day
With her last bite, two pieces more
Would slip, unnoticed, clean away
24 coins in a silver tower
Laid on a plate in the midnight hour
Hers for the treasures held in store
24 coins and not one more
She punched the clock and braced her back
For work, no moment hers to wait
When whistle blew, the silver stack
Had lightened by another eight
24 coins in a silver tower
Laid on a plate in the midnight hour
Hers for the treasures held in store
24 coins and not one more
Now home at last, our working queen
Collapsed into a willing chair
And by the light of dancing screen
Lost five bits to the evening air
24 coins in a silver tower
Laid on a plate in the midnight hour
Hers for the treasures held in store
24 coins and not one more
Til one last piece was all she had
One lonely coin to spend
To speak to loved ones far away
Embrace her dearest friend
No matter how she shattered it
She always found it hard
To pay for all life's riches
With a single silver shard
Whichever role you're born to play
Yes, if you're rich or poor
You'll hear the clink at break of day
Of silvers 24
24 coins in a silver tower
Laid on a plate in the midnight hour
Hers for the treasures held in store
24 coins and not one more
@tjeff Mar 2022
Sounds so natural and authentic. I can echo other comments that the minimal and static background is perfect for the song. The "24 coins" section is so catchy and singable - I was definitely singing along. And the rap was amazingly good - double-tracking it was a great idea. Wow, this is really good stuff!!
@kenficara Mar 2022
The minimalist backing leaves a lot of room for all the words, and works behind the rapping or the singing equally well. The lyrical concept of a finite amount of time draining away is quite sobering. #tit4tat
@sherrycanary Mar 2022
Continue
The music was like reggae rap..the rhythm is fabulous.
Great spoken word and vocals
Wonderful collaboration. Listened 3 times in a row
@sherrycanary Mar 2022
What a fabulous collaboration.
What a great telling of the story of how we spend our day.
Brilliant
Georgie...the music w
@rshakesp Mar 2022
This is a pretty unique format - I like the jagged nature of the backing track - with those shimmering sleigh bells binding it together. The alternating sung spoken format makes it pretty hypnotic. I like the way the lyric slowly but surely errodes the coin stack. Reminds me of dickens line in David Copperfield ‘ Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen nineteen and six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery.’ great tune - super collab
@majordanby Feb 2022
This is really well done. The simple instrumentation and beat lets the song breathe and allows the vocals to pop forward. Catchy chorus and the lyrics are strong and well delivered. Hiphop ain’t easy and you’ve managed to nail it.
@helenseviltwin Feb 2022
Love it! With the folky sounding chorus, it makes it sound like you've sampled an old song/recording in that way rap music sometimes does. The beat and rapping sound brilliantly 90s and go really well with the chorus. If I may offer an opinion, I would have maybe grouped a couple of verses together and had a couple of fewer choruses, but it's a small thing and personal opinion, so obvs feel free to ignore :)
Great song. Well done, both.
@dzdandcunfsd Feb 2022
This is brilliant. A medieval banger for sure!
I've always wanted to know what type of music the actual people listened to in days past. Not the stuffy tuxedo and gown crowd. I've always doubted it was what we think of as bard music, that also strikes me as something that a king or earl or some such nonsense would of commisioned. This is gonna be what the peasants were rocking to in my mind now :D
@wobbiewobbit Feb 2022
love the folk-hip-hop chorus fusion. a real head-bobber. love the fairy tale feel of the lyrics too and this is a great setting of them. fab collab!
@moonraccoon Feb 2022
Rockin' hard beat matches wordsmith power
Laid in my ears in the midnight hour
Jibbidy's pleasure, we want more
Rockin' hard bodies hit the floor
These parts are excellent, and the combination is greater than the sum of their parts.
@scubed Feb 2022
This is extraordinary! Brilliant lyrics, brilliant production. These lyrics have a traditional-folk feel to them - it’s amazing how well Georgie put them into a hip-hop setting. Fantastic collaboration!
@coolparadiso Feb 2022
I agree with Stephen it is a tough gig particularly when you know how good the performer is! well we knew you would be up to it! this has class written all over it! those drums drive everything. the lyrics are not so much sung as just appear! - says a lot about writer and singer
@richaaaay Feb 2022
Wow. Love the production and feel of this. So fun. Fantastic lyrics. Enjoyed reading the liner notes and Stephen’s comment below. Such a great collaboration!
@gwyn1234 Feb 2022
Utterly compelling brilliance! What lyrics! What vox and production! Knockout track and a total triumph!
@cindyrella Feb 2022
Oh I love this! Punky, fun, brilliant collab!
@sph Feb 2022
Is this steampunk rap? Anyway, I like it!
@johnnycashpoint Feb 2022
What a lovely tune! Not much else to say but I'm groovin'. j$
@serene123 Feb 2022
This is a fantastic tune.. love your rapping and attitude Georgie! Cool collab!
@nahlej381 Feb 2022
This is fire.
@stephenwordsmith Feb 2022
It's funny - had I known that this would be the genre you would put the song in, I wouldn't have written that particular lyric. They've got a bit of an old-fashioned, almost nautical feel, and here you're dropping them like bombs.
But it works. It reminds me a little of the very last CD I ever bought, which is also possibly my favourite. It's Leave Your Sleep by Natalie Merchant, in which she sings classic English nursery rhymes in a range of contemporary genres.
This is kind of M.I.A. does Natalie Merchant. It's great. Thank you - what a brilliant song.
@davidtaro Feb 2022
Haha, you’re so disgustingly GOOD! Love the attitude in the vocal, both the rap and that brilliant syncopated refrain. That’ll be in my head all evening now, thank you. Fabulous storytelling from Stephen too. Great collab!
@johnstaples Feb 2022
Wow, two awesome FAWMers, together for such a wonderful collaboration!
Those lyrics are clever and deep. Ima go ahead and say brilliant! The whole concept of our limited time and how we waste so much of it (or at least let it pass with minimal meaning) is laid out perfectly in these lyrics! And the lyrics, even when read without listening have a melodic feel to them!
The music and Georgie's vocals are truly outstanding! I love the sung chorus and rapped verses so much! It gives the song power and punches you in the face (in a great way!) This music is tight. Hot. Authentic!
What a wonderful song the two of you have created here! I am just blown away at how good it is! Congrats and thanks!
@frenchcricket Feb 2022
What a great hook. Perfect slice of pop / hiphop, and yet the rhythm of Stephen's excellently incisive lyrics have a kind of sea shanty feel. Which means you have this wonderful hybrid.
@metalfoot Feb 2022
Two things:
1) Great extended metaphor in the lyrics -- the 24 coins = 24 hours is great.
2) The music that Georgie came up with here is just *spot on* for the lyrics.
Two thumbs up from me!!!