1. |
Intro
00:23
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2. |
Nessie of the Loch
03:43
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NESSIE OF THE LOCH
Are you the last of your kind this water to roam
How long have you been here
‘Tis many a name by which you’re known
A legend through countless years.
The Waterhorse, Kelpie, Wurm or Beast
Your existence many still mock
But the name from children still serves you best
They call you Nessie of the Loch.
Are you the last living member of an ancient line
Or do your brothers still flourish
Swimming in secret against the tides of time
With young ones to teach and to nourish
The Pict, the Viking, the wild Highland Gael
Knew the Lochs in which you hide
As long as you remain and your stories men tell
Then Scotland will surely abide
They call you Nessie of the Loch
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3. |
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THE GLOWING BONES OF CRAGGIE HOPE
Through Craggie Hope there runs a rail,
Where the mist lies heavy when the moon hangs pale.
If it’s on a walk you’re bound to go, there’s secrets in the mist
You ought to know.
For when I hear that train my mind rolls back,
To the legends that grow along that track.
All the blood that’s spilled on that ground,
And things that die that don’t lie down.
Chorus: But the Glowing Bones of Craggie Hope
Of all the stories on that haunted ground,
It’s the very worst thing
That comes to my mind.
In the days of the wild train robbin’ bands,
Some bandits grabbed a local switchman.
They said raise your red light way up high,
That train better stop or you’re sure to die.
Now this honest man tried to fight ‘em back,
But they shot him and he fell onto the track.
The train rolled safe through the Tennessee hills,
But the switchman was chopped up beneath the wheels.
Now if you see a lantern and you hear a moan,
And you see in the glow his broken bones,
If the light is green, no harm to you,
But if it’s red then you got some prayin’ to do.
My best friend was Charlie Dane,
We were walking back late from a high school game.
We saw the tracks and like friends will do,
I got an idea and he got it too.
We bet, we challenged, we double-dared.
Each swore the other would be first scared.
We took to the tracks with taunting words,
Passing back-and-forth the tales we’d heard.
Our laughter was swallowed up by the mist,
Then we saw what we never thought could exist.
Those bones in a light as red as pain,
I was so damn scared I never heard the train.
Charlie called to me but I was frozen cold,
Then he pushed me and down a bank I rolled.
The train roared past as I lay on the ground,
I looked for Charlie but he wasn’t around.
And you know that Charlie ain’t never been found….
So if you’re walking the Craggie Hope line at night,
And ahead on the tracks you see a light,
If you don’t see a pile of glowing bones,
Then it’s just me coming to bring Charlie home….
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4. |
Varulven (The Werewolf)
04:49
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5. |
Scarecrow Walking
03:45
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SCARECROW WALKING
Scarecrow leanin’ in the corn
Took himself a walk one night
A pumpkin smilin’ on his shoulder
A demon's candle burnin’ bright.
Oh lord I’m ‘fraid of that scarecrow
Oh lord I’m scared of him
Oh lord I’m ‘fraid of that scarecrow
When the sun is growin' dim.
Scarecrow howlin’ in the field
Momma, don’t blow out my light
Close my eyes, won’t look out the window
Somethin’ waits in the autumn night.
Daddy’s coat and Uncle’s britches
An old owl’s nest and a bale of straw
Floppy hat, rope suspenders
A pumpkin’s face and a devil’s claw.
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6. |
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LAST OF THE H.M.S. GANNET
On the night the H.M.S. Gannet went down
Children awoke in their beds
From John O’Groats down to Land’s End
Nightmares played in their heads
Mothers gently cooed and soothed
And rocked them back to sleep
But out in the cruel Atlantic
The drowned gaze up from the deep.
It was the last of the H.M.S. Gannet
A ship of much renown
Only the eyes of God were upon her
As she faltered and went down
Her crew joined the ghosts of the seabed
But old sailors still know her name
A forlorn ending for many a brave man
And a ship of noted fame.
The night the gallant old vessel went down
The sea rose with mountainous waves
From the Solent to the Liverpool Docks
Ships slipped to their silent graves
So many men and craft went down
But only one matters to me
On the Gannet was my only darlin’ son
He lies quiet beneath the sea.
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7. |
The Uninvited Guest
03:35
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THE UNINVITED GUEST
What will I do if the dead do not sleep
Not content to be memories we keep
The wind delivers a rainy night
And a guest from far away
Unhappy in the earth where no one hears you weep.
How can I look at the eyes that stare
And watch from the grave with evil to share
Leaves on the porch fly to the shadows in the yard
Chased by the cold wind that blows your hair.
Can I bear to turn and see that face
The icy smile that's hidden from God's good grace
To let these cold fingers lightly touch my neck
Where once there was love, now terror takes its place.
Why should I still have a heart in my breast
Night is born in the east and day dies in the west
Long in the night I will beg for the sun
As I share my flickering fire with an uninvited guest.
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8. |
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9. |
The Silke
03:12
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THE SILKE
White as milk, skin so fair
Eyes of blue, and long dark hair
You can love her beauty rare
But Silkes always find their skin
A Silke always finds her skin
She smiles at you in the morning light
And tells you she’s going to look
For seashells on the shore
But you know what she’s really looking for
A Silke always finds her skin
And so you follow her to make sure
She doesn’t find the object she desires
And though she’s given you her heart
She’s dreaming of the sea
And one day she’s going to leave
She’s going to swim away
‘Cause Silkes always find their skin
A Silke always finds her skin.
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10. |
Spring Lament
01:08
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11. |
Fairy's Fable
02:41
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12. |
Autumn Wind
04:31
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13. |
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14. |
Frost on the Pumpkin
02:42
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15. |
Samhain Feis
03:18
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SAMHAIN FEIS
The harvest fires are lit on the tops of the hills
A chill wind kicks at the fallen leaves
It’s a time for a cup of companionship
Some warmth to chase away all our fears and ills.
Orange and black
And bare harvest fields
Each year we take back
Some of the life nature yields
Bonfires and Masks
And visits from the dead
In the manner of the Celts we put
The old year to bed.
My friends have gathered ‘round to see the summer away
Winter is approaching with each quiet frost
Since before the Romans, we’ve celebrated change
Each season in time will have its way.
A smell of spice hangs on the cool night air
A jack o’lantern grins to protect us from harm
In the frozen days of winter, we’ll remember this eve
When the harvest fires chased away all our cares.
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16. |
The Parting of Friends
01:05
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17. |
Farewell
05:17
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FAREWELL
The sea dragon ships boldly set sail
At the water’s edge, we said our farewell
My true love looked fine in his new coat of mail
And I wished him a journey without rain or gale.
The king of Sweden had called them to sea
At the water’s edge, we said our farewell
But Norway’s sons did not hide or flee
And spears filled the sky like ravens set free.
On Norway’s coast, my true love did die
At the water’s edge, we said our farewell
And in the dark earth, his body will lie
And I hide my tears ‘neath the cold winter sky.
We dreamed about children and he talked of a farm
At the water’s edge, we said our farewell
I miss his laugh and the strength of his arms
And I curse the king who took him to harm.
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The Secret Commonwealth Nashville, Tennessee
Music City's most enduringly popular Celtic band, since 1993! Singing songs of love, war...and drinking! We mix trads with our own original Celto-eclectic concoctions.
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