1. |
Bubbles of Earth
04:12
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The Isle is full of noises, sounds sweet airs that give delight
The earth is roused by summer’s glow, birds call in the morning light
Think not for the want of more, but take only of what comes freely
And sing then of the joy that comes, from a night that’s spent in dreaming sweetly
Bubbles of earth, a blanket of stars
A carpet of flowers we rest upon with ease
A river of calm, through a meadow of mirth
We’re bubbles of earth as the float along the breeze
A sky that hangs in pastel hues, a moon that rises full unbidden
Shines upon a midnight glades, that lights the way of footsteps hidden
Wish not for a want un-given, but hope instead a life to live for
Dream a dream of sweet content, sigh one sigh and dream no more
Bubbles of earth, a blanket of stars
A carpet of flowers we rest upon with ease
A river of calm, through a meadow of mirth
We’re bubbles of earth as we float along the breeze
Morning breaks through curtains drawn, full of warmth and hope to harness
Stepping to with springing feet, and looking back to see no darkness
Bubbles of earth, a blanket of stars
A carpet of flowers we rest upon with ease
A river of calm, through a meadow of mirth
We’re bubbles of earth as we float along the breeze
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2. |
Gravedigger
04:08
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Some will say that when you die you’ll be measured for your worth
be it paradise or the precipice for your time upon this earth
While others say it’s the blank malaise of the northing before your birth
All will say it’s your fate to lay six feet beneath the earth
Some will take the high road and travel in a private jet
Others stake their lives at sea just to go where they can’t get
But what ever means you go by, be sure it’s safe to bet
the only road that really counts is the one not taken yet
Gravedigger, when you’re digging my grave
Make it six feet from the highway and six feet from the stage
Gravedigger, when you’re digging my grave
Don’t disturb the tree roots so I live again in them
So said the gravedigger, write my ode and make it rhyme
Fifty years in graveyard make you old before your time
So say fair-well to your beloved, rest in peace for all it’s worth
Save a penny for the ferryman, say your prayers and sing your dirge
Gravedigger, when you’re digging my grave
Make it six feet from the highway and six feet from the stage
Gravedigger, when you’re digging my grave
Don’t disturb the tree roots so I live again in them
When it’s time to meet my maker, send me up a tailored suit and crown
I’ll take tea with old St Peter, but it won’t do to be wearing hand-me-downs
When the sun goes down, on my sinking boat
Just cut the ropes, let it take me home
Well the yew tree grows another year, pall bearers all pass by
The sun will rise another day, to light the ageless sky
In those ancient times the dead might lie at the foot of a standing stone
Later on cathedrals rise to carry the bell that tolls
Gravedigger, when you’re digging my grave
Make it six feet from the highway and six feet from the stage
Gravedigger, when you’re digging my grave
Don’t disturb the tree roots so I live again in them
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3. |
Frideswide
03:47
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Lady of strength and grace, of kind and noble heart
Born unto a king, but a daughter of the stars.
She slept on the ground bare, ate fruits from the trees
Sisters, I will spend my life with my spirit free.
My days I will spend them in service and in prayer
No man shall marry me, no matter how fair.
But a prince named Agar knew this girl divine
And he had a plan that she should be his bride.
But Frideswide was cunning and knew of his approach
She fled down to the Thames where she found a boat.
She rowed all through the night cross rain and wind
Gusts blew through her hair and drops splashed on her skin.
On the river’s choppy waves she found a sense of calm
This river it flows so free past town and field and farm.
I like this river, I so long to be
Free to take the course I wish, no man shall marry me.
She moored at last, under a willow tree
This grove it is so tranquil it is the place for me.
The rising of the sun brought passing sisters three
And by the harvest moon they were a family.
She caused a magic well to spring up from the ground,
whose waters brought healing to many ills around.
But soon her powers brought her great fame
And it was not long before the prince heard her name.
He found his way to her past bramble, brook and briar,
My lady you cannot hide and soon you shall be mine.
Frideswide had no need for words but summoned powers divine
And she struck Prince Agar, blind!
He fell down to his knees, oh I cannot see
But even though I’ve lost my sight it is so clear to me
That never my bride were you truly to be
For you must live a holy life, wild and free.
Pardon me my wrongs for I have been blind
To think that I could master the will of Frideswide.
Delighted by his words, she restored his sight
And they were relieved of their shared plight.
She rowed back up the Thames to her place of birth,
Where she delighted in merriment and mirth.
The prairie she’d dreamed of was founded at last,
A place on the river where oxen could pass
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4. |
Rosamund the Fair
03:45
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Noble lady, red headed girl
Jewel of a kingdom, rose of the world
Beloved of a king but no happiness gleaned
To fall on the steel of a cold heart queen
Ruined walls all covered with turf
Rose of the world lies beneath the earth
Crows that roost cast long shadows there
To cover up the grave of Rosamund the Fair
To see such a flower, the kings the heart did sway
To pick of the rose, to know its love for a day
But to keep such a love, forever must hide
For with every rose come a thorn in the side
So says the king “Build me a labyrinth deep
So we may make free while the Queen’s at her sleep”
Green walls of yew shall hide the affair
And shield from her my love of Rosamund the Fair”
Standing proud at her dark window cold
The queen knew of all that was said and was told
Of the maze and the flower and its rosy red hue
‘Twas the knife or the poison this flower must choose
The moon was low for the king had come late
To the find the fair rose had met with her fate
The dagger was bloody, the chalice was bare
They stole the last breath of Rosamund the Fair
Ruined walls all covered with turf
Rose of the world lies beneath the earth
Crows that roost cast long shadows there
To cover up the grave of Rosamund the Fair.
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5. |
Rhythm of the Moon
02:47
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She dances to the rhythm of the moon
more strange than true
she whispers to you
with wind in her hair and sand under foot
oh she’ll carry you when you need to float
but she can drown you in the very next stroke
So dip in to the darkness and glide through her swell
you think you know her well
but she’s deeper than you ever can tell
She rises with the coming of the dawn
sets when day’s done
she waits for no one
with fire in her soul and light in her eyes
she wears no disguise
and you watch her as she flies
So bask in her brightness and bathe in her glow
you think you know
but she’s warmer than she ever can show
She’s not of your world
her spirit is made of gold
and she’s not yours to hold
she’s the sea, she’s the sun
she belongs to no one
she’s herself
and that’s all she needs to be
she’s herself
and she’s free
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6. |
The Once and Future King
04:17
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A thousand years of the running race and a thousand years of hope
A thousand times the clocks went back, a thousand more gave up the ghost
Waiting all a thousand years
His name no longer spoken but remembered in the land
Carved upon the hills and caves and written in the sand
To bear his name a thousand years
And no shadow could forsake his shining crown
Not lain to rest but only gone to ground
To return again when the need was most profound
Still the trumpets sound, as the church bells ring
To usher in the rising sun, as the winter turns to spring
The clouds roll back and all the birds will sing
For the coming of the glory days and the once and future king
Distant tales in dusty books, old stories often told
War has torn the page as every history unfolds
And yet the truth remains unsold
Death did haunt the stony streets, you hear the baying of the hounds?
The devil spoke and yet the old folks joke
that he’ll be coming round
To chase bad spirits out of town
And was it he who saved us from our aching toil?
Or did we free ourselves with the taming of the soil?
And is paradise for ever ours to spoil?
Still the trumpets sound, as the church bells ring
To usher in the rising sun, as the winter turns to spring
The clouds roll back and all the birds will sing
For the coming of the glory days and the once and future king
Well don’t fall into the trap of thinking all the world’s the same
That what’s come before shall come again and you’ll never see the change
‘Cos giving up’s a losing game
If innocence is the first to die, then hope shall be the last
The future’s always coming as today becomes the past
So pin your colours to the mast
Danger, danger stalks me all around
I’m weighed down by the ever present frown
Don’t let me sink into the burning ground
Still the trumpets sound, as the church bells ring
To usher in the rising sun, as the winter turns to spring
The clouds roll back and all the birds will sing
For the coming of the glory days and the once and future king
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7. |
Ghost Song
03:00
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On a dark and moonless night I wandered through a grove,
The stars they were shining bright and in their glow
I saw a man coming near, a man I did not know
Weary eyed, back bowed his face as white as snow.
Where go you sir at this hour, the sun has long ‘go set
And ne’er before on this path a stranger have I met?
My lady just behind this gate my grave it does lie
And so I wander through this grove at the darkest hour of night.
What is it that keeps your heart beating in your chest
far from the slumber of sweet eternal rest?
My heart it shall not rest until it’s earthly deeds are done
For I wander through this grove in wait of my beloved.
Sweet were the days we spent in each other’s arms
Days of joy and delight in each other’s charms.
But long they were not to last for he had a plan
To take from me my love by the power of his hand.
She did cry I shall return to you I shall escape
So wait for me patiently at night in this place.
The lord he saw how hard she fought and he was proud
To draw his sword and slay me straight to the ground.
So you see I cannot rest at peace in my grave
For to my love some moons ago a promise I have made
To wait for her, come what may, until she ends my plight
And so I wander through this grove at the darkest hour of night.
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8. |
Bella in the Wych Elm
03:49
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In the midst of a world at war, in the fastness of a tree
A hollow tomb of ancient wood, was found the bones of thee
Your name known only to the nameless now, said the writing on the wall
“Who put Bella in the Wych Elm tree?”, to whom do we owe your fall?
Bella won’t you come down
From the lonesome tree you find yourself in?
Find yourself some holy ground
Before they throw your bones away
Was it so, as so it’s said you were a lady of the night?
Needing for to sell your body, but unwittingly sold your life
Or were you sent her by the Reich, to be a victim of the war?
For stories told and secrets sold, you got your just reward
Bella won’t you come down
From the lonesome tree you find yourself in?
Find yourself some holy ground
Before they throw your bones away
Did a witch’s coven take your hand and lead you into the wood?
Commit your body to a living tree, and end your earthly maidenhood
So wherever now your body lies, won’t you take at last some rest
Will send you off with songs of peace, to end your restlessness
Bella won’t you come down
From the lonesome tree you find yourself in?
Find yourself some holy ground
Before they throw your bones away
Bella won’t you come down
From the lonesome tree you find yourself in?
Find yourself some holy ground
Before they throw your bones away
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9. |
The Storm Within
04:11
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In the west there falls the setting sun
In the east the cold wind blows
Up from the south both warmth and rain
And the north wind brings the snow
When all about the world is calm
Can’t you feel a new wind rise
A tempest grown inside your breast
That’s what they call the storm within
And still somehow does the east wind bow
To the west wind blowing in
The sea, the saints and the rising tide
Couldn’t quench the storm within
What was that the old man said?
You can work ‘till the day you’re dead
You can slave all day to build a roof
To keep the rain from off your head
Well let the rain come down but don’t reign me in
I’ve got to stand atop
Of the mountain I first spied when I
Felt my first rain drop
And still somehow does the east wind bow
To the west wind blowing in
The sea, the saints and the rising tide
Couldn’t quench the storm within
Oh the storm within, has charted a course for me
Oh the storm within, has a reason to keep me free
And it takes me nowhere, I’ll be better off there
Oh the storm within is the soul’s prevailing wind
Well you never have to tell me twice
I can see it’s a brand new day
At long last I can see the sky
The wind has blown the clouds away
And still somehow does the east wind bow
To the west wind blowing in
The sea, the saints and the rising tide
Couldn’t quench the storm within
And still somehow does the east wind bow
To the west wind blowing in
The sea, the saints and the rising tide
Couldn’t quench the storm within
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10. |
Sea Song
02:35
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Old town, we’re going down
A path paved with boroughs and stanleys
To a time when my clothes
Were made by your hands
Soft and course as sand
Cut with cold brass scissors
Stitches and buttons and handmade stickers
Navy drill matched with stout twill
To take us in style to the sea…
Oh the sea,
Where a hundred crescent moons
Are reigning the sands
Smiling then hiding
And singing all day by the sea
Oh, singing all day by the sea.
A landscape cracked in crevice and furrow
By walking alone we won’t make it home
So we’ll leap and we’ll lunge, we’ll slip and we’ll slide
Breathing heavy salty sage and thyme
With our feet sore and sodden we’ll reach solid ground
But we’re bitten and scratched from our journey back from the sea…
Oh the sea,
Where a hundred crescent moons
Are reigning the sands
Smiling then hiding
And singing all day by the sea
Oh, singing all day by the sea.
Oh the sea,
Where a hundred crescent moons
Are reigning the sands
Smiling then hiding
And singing all day by the sea
Oh, singing all day by the sea.
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11. |
The Rise and Fall
03:47
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The blossoms on the bough, above the grass that feeds the cow
Beside the river that will run to the sea
The April fool is in the street, where the merry fellows meet
To hang the ribbons on the willow tree
The swifts are on the wing, where the blackbird proudly sings
The summer's painted on the sovereign sky
The cat lies sleeping in the sun, till the hazy day is done
The shadows long, the purple clouds wander by
The unmissable signs, of unusual times
It’s the sunrise, the sweet rain, the night bird’s call
Just call it the rise and the fall
The wind splashes in my face, as the leaves fall out of place
The sky is heavy as the earth goes to sleep
The autumns in the orchard, see the apples steady fall
A cavern pumpkin where the morning mist creeps
Hooded figures round a fire, glowing embers light their smiles
The empty trees sing a whispering song
It’s three hours ‘till I’m gone, says the winter’s midday sun
Will you miss me when I’m gone for so long
The unmissable signs, of unusual times
It’s the sunrise, the sweet rain, the night bird’s call
Just call it the rise and the fall
The unmissable signs, of unusual times
It’s the sunrise, the sweet rain, the night bird’s call
Just call it the rise and the fall
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12. |
When Music Sounds
03:47
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Tunes whistling through the trees
Stories rustling in the breeze
Tunes whistling through the trees
Stories rustling in the breeze
And I say hey hey hey
And I say hey hey hey
When music sounds, gone is the earth I know,
And all her lovely things even lovelier grow;
Her flowers in vision flame, her forest trees
Lift burdened branches, stilled with ecstasies.
Tunes whistling through the trees
Stories rustling in the breeze
Tunes whistling through the trees
Stories rustling in the breeze
And I say hey hey hey
And I say hey hey hey
When music sounds, out of the water rise
Naiads whose beauty dims my waking eyes,
Rapt in strange dreams burns each enchanted face,
With solemn echoing stirs their dwelling-place.
Tunes whistling through the trees
Stories rustling in the breeze
Tunes whistling through the trees
Stories rustling in the breeze
And I say hey hey hey
And I say hey hey hey
When music sounds, all that I was I am
Ere to this haunt of brooding dust I came;
And from Time's woods break into distant song
The swift-winged hours, as I hasten along.
Tunes whistling through the trees
Stories rustling in the breeze
Tunes whistling through the trees
Stories rustling in the breeze
And I say hey hey hey
And I say hey hey hey
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Meadowsuite Oxford, UK
Folk quartet from Oxford, creating original songs which are both timeless and fresh. Rooted in our collective landscape and history, but blossoming in new directions.
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