Odette Michell

Lyrics

The Queen of the Lowlands

(Album // Released June 2025)

1. The Woodlark & The Fieldfare

(Feat. Ninebarrow on vocals)
© 2025 Words & Music by Odette Michell

On the brightest of mornings, in sight of the springtime
To the woods, to the woods, I did wander one day
But my mind was a quandary, and as the woods be my witness
There the birds in the canopy, they rung out my name

Oh they circled me strangely, then they landed on me shoulders
Crying ‘oh be away from the woods on this day’
So I reeled around to find I was alone in the forest
But the words that I heard were a lesson to stay

Oh will you be lucky, or will you be scorned
Or tied to a future, that’s not yet been born
Never doubt where you’re going, and only truth do declare
And you’ll fly, fly, over the woods, just like the Woodlark and Fieldfare

So I climbed high up the rocks, to find the skylark and the swallow
High up above overlooking the bay
But they danced with merry eagles, and they fought, and they followed
All in the deep blue of the sky on that day

Oh will you be lucky, or will you be scorned
Or tied to a future, that’s not yet been born
Never doubt where you’re going, and only truth do declare
And you’ll fly, fly, over the woods, just like the Woodlark and Fieildfare

So be you my masters, my friends or my saviours
Or perhaps you have come for to take me away
Oh forgive me for my mind, so confused and unfavoured
And look upon me kindly for the fact I did stray

For will you be lucky, or will you be scorned
Or tied to a future, that’s not yet been born
Never doubt where you’re going, and only truth do declare
And you’ll fly, fly, over these woods, just like the Woodlark and Fieldfare

2. Hourglass

(Feat. Calum Gilligan on vocals)
© 2025 Words & Music by Odette Michell

Oh the hourglass is turning, with these golden embers burning

And the woods are whispering winter through the trees

For the seasons wheel turns round again, and soon will come the driving rain

And September casts a chill into the breeze

For there’s a golden hue, that’s glowing all around you

And the time, is coming closer to hand

So let these embers burn, and we’ll watch the seasons turn

For I’m the hourglass and you - are falling sand

Now the evenings here are colder, let me wrap around your shoulder

Cast your worries to the wind, and hurry home

For this year has been a hurricane - a knocking on my window pane

And the lonely never want for being alone

But there’s a golden hue, that’s glowing all around you

And the time, is coming closer to hand

So let these embers burn, and we’ll watch the seasons turn

For I’m the hourglass and you - are falling sand

Let the long nights of winter meet the new life of the spring
We can carry the warmth right through the night

For I know where I am going, where the blossom breeze is blowing

And we’ll watch them open slowly, in the light

Well there’s a golden hue, that’s glowing all around you

And the time, is coming closer to hand

So let these embers burn, and we’ll watch the seasons turn

For I’m the hourglass and you - are falling sand

There’s a golden hue, that’s glowing all around you

And the time, is coming closer to hand

So let these embers burn, and we’ll watch the seasons turn

For I’m the hourglass and you - are falling sand

3. The Queen of the Lowlands

(Feat. Chris Leslie on fiddle)
© 2025 Words & Music by Odette Michell

Well they call her the Queen of the Lowlands, from iron and steel was she built

They set her for sail after tide and high gail, with her quarters all packed to the hilt

Oh they’ve a long way to go, many stories in tow, the American soldiers of war

But behind the great door, precious lives were in store, so they cast her away by the pull of the shore

But it was the first day of December, with a wind that could chill to the bone

The soldiers came down from the harbour, and they claimed the great ship as their own

Oh they’ve a long way to go, many stories in tow, but they were saved by pull of the tide

And the ladies would hustle and bustle along, and the children would run two and four to each stride

So come down to the ocean, haul her away

Come all you soldiers, oh come all that may

Twenty nine thousand, heroes to save

By the Queen of the Lowlands

So behold the new Queen of the Lowlands, great steamship from Holland she came

But now foreign words fill up her galley, and there’s new letters next to her name

Oh they’ve a long way to go, many stories in tow, and many a mile will they roam

So cast you a prayer for the boys yet to roam, and a prayer for the young men who never came home

So come down to the ocean, haul her away

Come all you soldiers, oh come all that may

Twenty nine thousand, heroes to save

By the Queen of the Lowlands

So come down to the ocean, haul her away

Come all you soldiers, come all that may

There’s twenty nine thousand, heroes to save

By the Queen of the Lowlands

Oh come down to the ocean, haul her away

Come all you soldiers, oh come all that may

Twenty nine thousand, heroes to save

By the Queen of the Lowlands

4. St Helen’s

(Feat. Lukas Drinkwater on double bass)
© 2025 Words & Music by Odette Michell

From the shorelines of Dublin, eighteen-fifty

On a boat bound for England, all on the great sea

Oh the lads you’ll find work in the colliery

And the lasses in the old spinning mill

There young Mary was born close to St Helen’s town

But after mother was gone she’d work all the year round

But they turned all their labours to pennies and pounds

Piecing cotton in the factories abound

She said I’m working all day and how sore are my hands

And a life in the tenements, is no life I’ll stand

So save all these pennies they place in my hand

And I am leaving St Helen’s as soon as I can
But right there in St Helen’s is where it began

So then down through the town and those bridges he came

Over two feet of ice off those frozen old lanes

Straight down through that ice like a ball and a chain

And no help could there be til the morning

But young Mary she stood with her eyes on the prize

With a smile like the spring but a glint in her eyes

For she knew that the boy would be easy to guise

For his young heart would be set on a courting

She said I'll give you my hand if you’ll stay safe and sound

For you're no good to me if you're lain in the ground

The same way we came upon old Liverpool Town

We’ll be leaving St Helen’s as soon as we can
But right there in St Helen’s is where it began

She said I’ll give you my hand if you’ll stay safe and sound

For you’re no good to me if you’re lain in the ground

And ten miles north east of Liverpool Town

They sang an old Irish tune to the bells of St Anne’s

But there in St Helen’s is where it began

5. Requiem

(Feat. Phil Beer on fiddle & Vicki Swan on Scottish Smallpipes)
© 2025 Words & Music by Odette Michell

In the Scottish hills on my day of birth
Where the grassy banks met the Forth of Firth
Where November winds are set to stay

From the Calton Hill over Musselburgh Bay

But no common child for me I’ll be
For we’d prosper in fair charity
But from illness I would never be free
So I write my page of history

But when our parting comes, when our words are done
When the ground beneath and I are one
When I’m laid down, when my days are done
That’s where the Southern Seas meet the setting sun

But In Scotland’s fair and bonny land
How the stories fell from my own hand
But the love I met in the cold Lowlands
Would be the one with whom I‘d stand

But when our parting comes, when my words are done
When the ground beneath and I are one
When I’m laid down, when my days are done
Where the Southern Seas meet the setting sun

So across the seas we travelled wide
To America on the trains we’d ride
But my health was waning by and by
And the South Seas call the whispering tide

When our parting comes, when my words are done
When the ground beneath and I are one
When I’m laid down, when my days are done
Where the Southern Seas meet the setting sun

When our parting comes, when our words are done
When the ground beneath and I are one
When I’m laid down, when my days are done
Where the Southern Seas meet the setting sun

Under the wide and starry sky
Let the ground beneath be where I lie
Glad did I live and gladly die
And over Southern Seas my spirit will fly

6. Flowers

(Feat. Daria Kulesh on vocals)
© 2025 Words & Music by Odette Michell/Daria Kulesh

My name it is Rose, I’m the eldest of three
I went to the greenwood, as blithe as could be

And there in the bracken, I met a strange man
A lust in his heart, and a knife in his hand

A lust in his heart, and a knife in his hand

He said my dear flower in the woods I must hide
For I’m banished and hunted, for my crimes far and wide

I am a young robber, no maid by my side
But now my fair flower, I’ll make you my bride

But now my fair flower, I’ll make you my bride

She pleaded, young robber, I beg set me free

For I have a sister much fairer than me
Her lips are like rubies, a lovers delight

She will be your flower, she will be your bride

My name it is Daisy, the middle of three
I went to the greenwood, as blithe as could be

And there in the bracken, I met a strange man
A lust in his heart, and a knife in his hand

A lust in his heart, and a knife in his hand

He said, my dear flower, in the woods I must hide
For I’m banished and hunted, for my crimes far and wide

I am a young robber, no maid by my side
But now my fair flower, I’ll make you my bride

But now my fair flower, I’ll make you my bride

She pleaded, young robber, I beg set me free

For I have a sister, much fairer than me
Her eyes are like diamonds, a lovers delight

She will be your flower, she will be your bride

My name it is Lily, the youngest of three

I went to the greenwood, as blithe as could be

And there in the bracken, I met a strange man
A lust in his heart, and a knife in his hand

A lust in his heart, and a knife in his hand

He said, my dear flower, in the woods I must hide
For I’m banished and hunted, for my crimes far and wide

I am a young robber, no maid by my side
But now my fair flower, I’ll make you my bride

But now my fair flower, I’ll make you my bride

She took out a pistol, held it firm in her hand,

And took a straight shot - at that faithless young man
Saying, here in the greenwood, your body will bide

For I won’t be your flower, I won’t be your bride

7. Lady Constance
© 2025 Words & Music by Odette Michell

As I came down to Castlegal, there in the valley low

A story rare oh they did share, in the county town of Sligo

For the weak and for the poor, for justice and fair stance

For here on our fair emerald shore, there lived the Lady Constance

Born from wealth not poverty, but shackled to her word

Constance in her army greens, would march in the battle to be heard

With long black hair and piercing eyes, to Paris she did roam

But she loved him plain so took his name, and back to the Irish coast they’d go

So go you lady go with me, for you and I will wedded be

And the time will tell and you will see, a sweet union we will be

But in the amnesty of ‘seventeen, to the town jail she did go

Oh but she’d return to a hero’s word, to the county town of Sligo

For though she had been sentenced harsh, and tried before the court

For fear of shame they cleared her name, for the likes of people she had fought

So set the Lady Constance free, just clear her name and set her free

For we’ll never hear the end of thee, so freedom ye shall be!

Set the Lady Constance free, all these people and their loyalty!

We’ll never hear the end of thee, so freedom ye shall see!

Ah but when the Countess she did die, no money to her name

For she’d given all her pennies to, the poor and weak that she had saved

Oh but when the local citizens, a monument might raise

Objections from the council came, and the cover-up was quietly made

So come you ladies gather round, your sister you must see

For a lesson in integrity, you’ll find in Ireland’s history

So sleep our lady peaceful be, oh but heed the words of history

For never will they let your name, be spoken with integrity

Oh leave the Lady Constance be, but may all around remember ye

Remember with integrity, the happenings’ of our history

So sleep my lady peaceful be, but may all around remember ye

For although you died in poverty, sweet riches you will see

For your life was lived in servitude - to keep the people safe and free

8. Waterline

Under the great Atlantic sky

I will plough these waters vast and wide

From the harbour still and safe and kind

To the rising waves on the waterline

Well I stood so proud in my ‘fourty-five

To the great beyond I followed the tide

Just like my father in his prime

As he cast his net to the waterline

Oh but down, down, oh dilly down

These harbour lights are our jewelled crown

And while we watch without a sound

We’ll watch these boats run to the ground

To the roaring waves I will follow you

And to the distant shores I’ll bid adieu

And I’ll anchor down to plow the brine

And I will fill my hold by the waterline

Ah but down, down, oh dilly down

These harbour lights are our jewelled crown

And while we watch without a sound

We’ll watch these boats run to the ground

Oh but policy is written in the sand

So we burned our boats with our own bare hands

Now as labourers on land we’ll be

Far from the raging of the sea

Ah but down, down, oh dilly down

These harbour lights are our jewelled crown

And while we watch without a sound

We’ll burn our boats down to the ground

Now my boat is dry and her wood is pale

And no more the waters will she sail

And where once she leaned so proud and fine

Now she sits so high by the waterline

9. My Love Is Like The Rondelet

My love is like the rondelet, a verse to call my own

And he is like the barley corn, with golden seeds to sow

My love is like the blush of spring, the fire to my coal

Oh but now my love he’s far from me, a lone fish from the shoal

My love is like the silver birch, among the greenwood pines

He stands so tall and proud, within the wash of lesser kinds

My love will stand the trials of time, my love will never stray

Oh but since my love has gone so far, I fear I’ll lose my way

Well it’s been three score and seven weeks, since e’re I saw his face

His skin is pale as the dove, his hair is auburn shades

Yet no more do I recall his smile, and lest I might betray

For should a new love come to me, I fear that I might stray

My love is like the rondelet, a verse to call my own

And he is like the barley corn, with golden seeds to sow

Now many years have parted us, and I bear these winters cold

And now I have a new love, oh, for to have a hand to hold

For to have a hand - to hold

10. All The Bonny Ships

All through the waters railing, there’s a fleet of ships a’ sailing

All on the stormy oceans they did flee

From many years of deprivation, to asylum and salvation

To their loved ones reunited, joyfully

Oh and all the bonny ships are sailing

Well it was on the fairest morning, soldiers freedom finally dawning

Twenty ships with precious cargo, they did sail

And when all the boats had landed, from the Spanish shores once stranded

Onto England where their freedom would prevail

Oh and all the bonny ships are sailing
And all the bonny ships, are set to sea

So come all you merry ladies, for you’ve waited years of maybe’s

A flotilla on these waters, they will sail

And all these secrets he has harboured, all these promises unguarded

When you never thought you’d see your love again

And when you return we’ll marry, and together we will be

And all the bonny ships are sailing

And all the bonny ships, are set to sea

For when you return we’ll marry, and four children I will carry

And there’s work for you in England, you will see

And all the bonny ships are sailing

And all the bonny ships, are set to sea

And all the bonny ships are sailing

And all the bonny ships, are set to sea

____

The Wildest Rose

(Album // Released April 2019)

1. The Wildest Rose

(Feat. Phil Beer on fiddle)
© 2019 Words & Music by Odette Michell

On the first day that I saw my love, I picked her the wildest rose

On the second day I saw my love I said to keep it wherever she goes

On the third day that I saw my love I showed her where the lily grows

And on the fourth day that I saw my love, I asked to be the lad she chose

She said “on Sunday well I met a young lad, and he picked me the wildest rose

Then on Monday well this same young lad, he said to keep it wherever I go

And on Tuesday ah we tarried long to where the sweetest lily grows

And on Wednesday as the sun did set, I said he’d be the lad I chose”

Over yonder green through the purest stream to the valleys we did go

There I asked the maid, beside the glade - where go thee the Wildest Rose?

The next day when I came to see where the sweetest lily grows

I saw my pretty fair young lass, and with a worried frown she arose

She said “Oh I can’t find the flower you gave, for to keep wherever I go

“And how long I’ve tarried through these woods, in search of the wildest rose”

I said oh have you walked the meadows high or searched in the valleys low

And have you trailed the wild wood path where the bonnie deer she goes

Oh have you looked upon the brook where the purest water flows

But sure I’ll take your hand and go with you, in search of the wildest rose

Over yonder green through the purest stream to the valleys we did go

There I asked the maid, beside the glade - where go thee the Wildest Rose?

We sat down upon a hill so high with a view to the Eastward coves

But a peace we found together there as the morning sun arose

Then I said my lady worry not, for the flower I picked still grows

And on forever it will bloom - for you are the Wildest Rose

Over yonder green through the purest stream to the valleys we did go

There I asked the maid, beside the glade - where go thee the Wildest Rose?

Over yonder green through the purest stream to the valleys we did go

There I asked the maid, beside the glade - where go thee the Wildest Rose?

2. The Banks Of Annalee
© 2019 Words & Music by Odette Michell

Well it was early on a Sunday, the North County I did rove

For to amble on the river’s edge, and watch the course it flowed

But I chanced upon a young lad, so I asked the way to go

And now I’m stood beside the river banks, and I’m lost from head to toe

I said now might we walk together, for I know not where to be

For where I thought one river ran, there’s four or more I see

But he smiled a minute fondly, then he set me on the kind

He said we’ve many in this county run to confuse the travellers mind

But he said oh we can walk together now, for I know the way to go

And deep inside the valley oh, I watch the rivers flow

And we could walk a mile or more to where the river meets the sea

Then he said put your hand in mine, we’ll walk the Banks of Annalee

So we walked a while together and as we looked toward the West

He said of all the sights that we could see, this one he loved the best

Oh there were bream beneath the water, kingfishers in their nests

And then it seemed to me this lad could be more than a helper on my quest

But he said oh we can walk together now, for I know the way to go

And deep inside the valley oh, I watch the rivers flow

And we could walk a mile or more to where the river meets the sea

Then he said put your hand in mine, we’ll walk the Banks of Annalee

And so we walk quite happily on the river banks below, although now it seems so very long ago

For now we have a family, of our very own, and each and every river I do know

So we walk together now, for we know the way to go

And deep inside this valley oh, how we watch the rivers flow

Ah but fondly we remember our first amble to the sea

When he said put your hand in mine, here on the Banks of Annalee

So he put his hand in mine, here on the Banks of Annalee

3. The Rolling Shores Of England

(Feat. Phil Beer on fiddle & Vocals)
© 2019 Words & Music by Odette Michell

For all those sad and weary, for those who’ve lost their way
Come walk with me to where the sea, greets every passing day

For on the rolling shores of England, no fierce storm could shake
The tall white cliffs at Langdon Bay, where morning light will break

From East to West, our island blessed

From the Meadows to the Irish Sea

It's on the rolling shores of England

No stranger I will be

So pick up your feet and wander, as far as you can bear

Then climb the steps which bend to meet, each passing stranger there

From East to West, our island blessed

From the Meadows to the Irish Sea

It's on the rolling shores of England

No stranger I will be

So walk with me to wander, this crooked grassy ledge
And be thankful for each passing step, on our great heritage

From East to West, our Island blessed

From the Meadows to the Irish Sea

It's on the rolling shores of England

No stranger I will be

On these rolling shores of England

No stranger I will be

4. Bless The Ground You Grow On
© 2019 Words & Music by Odette Michell

Take your winter coat and walk, through this open land

Let the cold wind chill your face, and winter take your hand

Climb the wild mountainside, where green paths are growin’

For they hold secrets to our past, that we’ve no way of knowing

Be kind to natures rise and fall, for land and sky will meet

Where grass and bone and moss have grown, beneath our weary feet

For here we stand, upon this land, on ground changed only by name

And while time may line my youthful brow, the ground remains the same

For the time will come, when this day is done – to plough the land we sow on

So fill your glass and drink to the last – ah but bless the ground you grow on

So I let the cold wind chill my face, and winter take my hand

For I may walk these hills so wide, where chalk runs into sand

Where no-one sees your nooks and trees, save for the ways of the swallow

But you have proudly left your mark, while I have merely followed

For the time will come, when this day is done – to plough the land we sow on

So fill your glass and drink to the last – ah but bless the ground you grow on

So take your winter coat and walk, and to my message heed

For you and I beneath this sky, have everything we need

For the time will come, when this day is done – to plough the land we sow on

So fill your glass and drink to the last – ah but bless the ground you grow on

5. Great Old Northern Line
© 2019 Words & Music by Odette Michell

Ruby takes the paper and is counting up the pennies in her hand

She left a little later, so she’s found a quiet place where she can stand

And underneath her hat there is a nest of yellow hair

Like her hidden store of golden contraband

And somewhere on the tracks between the Angel and the Bridge

I am holding Ruby’s paper in my hand

But in time, we’ll all come to understand –

Why we all mark time, by golden orange signs, behind the yellow lines

It’s an uphill climb, it happens all the time

On the Great Old Northern Line

Stevie takes his ticket and announces to his friends he’s going home

He says a girl is waiting, but he walks back from the platform on his own

And when he thinks he’s far enough, he’ll sing himself a tune

And he’ll watch the moving pictures on his ‘phone

But once those neon city lights give way into the gloom

He’ll be wondering why he still feels alone
But in this town, we all feel alone -

So we all mark time, by golden orange signs, behind the yellow lines

It’s an uphill climb, it happens all the time

On the Great Old Northern Line

And as the evening sun sets down on the steel beams and the rails

The working day it never seems to end

And at midnight when the crowds are gone, the whistle blows again

And another one comes rolling round the bend
But night and day, together they will blend –

So we’ll all mark time, by golden orange signs, behind the yellow lines

It’s an uphill climb, it happens all the time

On the Great Old Northern Line

Oh we all mark time, by golden orange signs, behind the yellow lines

It’s an uphill climb, it happens all the time

On the Great Old Northern Line

Fare you well my own true love

Oh fare you well for a while

I’m going away but I’ll come again

If I go ten thousand miles

The crow that is so black my love
Will surely turn to white
And if I ever prove false to the one I love
Bright day shall turn to night

Bright day shall turn to night my love
And the rocks shall melt with the sun
And the fire will freeze and will be no more
And the raging sea will burn

Oh don’t you see yon white turtle dove
A skipping from vine to vine
A mourning the loss of its own true love
Just as I do mourn for mine

So fare you well my own true love

Oh fare you well for a while

I’m going away but I’m coming again

If I go ten thousand miles

I’m going away but I’ll come back again

If I go ten thousand miles

7. I Once Loved A Shepherd

Well I work with wool and cotton, and I’ve a family of renown
But a letter from the foreman oh, sent me far away from town

So I travelled to the island, beneath a bleak and foreign cloud
To where the rain just like a blanket lay, on the barren rocky ground

But I fell for a shepherd, he was working on the farm
For it made me feel a lady oh, with a young lad on my arm

But come the early morning, I would leave what I had found
But I swore that I’d return again, when the season came around

For I once loved a shepherd, his common feet on common ground
To the island he’ll be tethered oh, to the mainland I’ll be bound

For I've family in waiting, and I've work back in the town
So I'll leave you in the morning my bonny lad that I have found

The next morning I awoke and did I hear the raven say
“Now that you’ve strayed, you’ll always stay, on this island where you lay

And if you should be returning, to your mainland shores again
A tragedy oh you will see, on this island, in the rain”

For I once loved a shepherd, his common feet on common ground
To the island he’ll be tethered oh, to the mainland I’ll be bound

For I've family in waiting, and I've work back in the town
So I'll leave you in the morning my bonny lad that I have found

So I returned again in autumn, but all the flowers they had browned
And I was greeted by the raven perched, high above the rocky ground

Oh he told me of my bonny lad, of how he sleeps without a sound
Then he showed me where the boy was laid, far beneath a mossy mound

For I once loved a shepherd, his common feet on common ground
To the island he’ll be tethered oh, to the mainland I’ll be bound

For I've family in waiting, and I've work back in the town
So I'll leave you in the morning my bonny lad that I have found

8. Light Up London Town

Down old London way, after All Hallows Day, in the union of the autumn and the winter

A ruling was passed just like the last, to separate the seed from the linter

But a difference of minds through the passing of the time, and a story old as yore

Led a gathering of men, who would all stand against the King and all that he stood for

With their flags of injustice flying, their feet would make no sound

Oh but there in the dark they would set off the spark, that would light up London Town

They plotted and planned, to reclaim their land, and put an end to the persecution

And throughout the night, as their candles burned bright they would challenge the institution

But then one cautious man had a different plan, for he feared for the lives of his brothers

And so a letter was sent to the crown parliament, that aroused all the fears of the others

With their flags of injustice flying, their feet would make no sound

But there in the dark they would set off the spark, that would light up London Town

Not long after ten oh there came the Kings men, to behold their criminal reasons

And on that winters day they would haul the lads away, and would punish them all for treason

Now on the same day each year we all gather in cheer, as we light each fire in town

And we’re told to remember that day in November – and of the men who challenged the crown

With their flags of injustice flying, oh their feet would make no sound

Oh but there in the dark they would set off the spark, and they’d light up London Town

With our flags of injustice flying, oh we’ll burn each fire down

For here in the dark we will set off the spark, and we’ll light up London Town

For they left their mark on our histories charts, so they’ll light up London Town

The night is here, the sky is clear, it’s only you and me

The birds are nesting in the woods, so high in the trees

A spark of light from embers bright, is the only flame we’ll see

So bring back the warmth of fire my love, to where we used to be

Dance, dance, through the night – oh dance me through the night

And let the sun of morning come, and startle at the sight

The stars and moon may laugh and swoon, at the lovers in delight

But the time is right, the fire burns bright, so dance me through the night

The day adjourns, the candle burns, the evenings at our door

Let’s not be weary of the night or all that lies in store

Just take my hand and understand, I’m the same girl as before

And of all of the steps we’ve taken in love, we’ll dance ten thousand more

So dance, dance, through the night – oh dance me through the night

Then let the sun of morning come, and startle at the sight

The stars and moon may laugh and swoon, at the lovers in delight

For the time is right, the fire burns bright, so dance me through the night

And when the sun of morning comes – and mother earth’s awoken

Don’t say a word for I have heard – all those words unspoken

So dance, dance, through the night – oh dance me through the night

Then let the sun of morning come, and startle at the sight

The stars and moon may laugh and swoon, at the lovers in delight

But the time is right, the fire burns bright, so dance me through the night

The time is right, the fire burns bright, so dance me through the night

10. The Eastern Seas

In a cold North town, to settle down, you have to work the land

Ah but a blizzard cold will take your kin, should you chance to harm the hands

And all for less than four and one, and a dusty room to share

For in this old town, we’ll work the ground, all through the long, long year

So when he heard of the chance, to sail upon the seas

A mighty strength would fill his lungs, with dreams of liberty

And all for fourty one and ten, and a dream to join the free

So he’ll sail along, among the throngs, to the shores of the Eastern Seas

Oh the Eastern Seas, the Eastern Seas, to the shores of the Eastern Seas

He will travel on, four whole weeks long, to the shores of the Eastern Seas

Now when he returns would the summer burn the skin of a pale mans hands

Ah for the days belong to the scorching sun, on the tracks of a foreign land

And all for less than four and one, and a cabin room to share

But how he thinks upon his lass so young with the hands and the face so fair

But the Eastern Seas, the Eastern Seas, he’s on the shores of the Eastern Seas

He will travel on, four whole weeks long, to the shores of the Eastern Seas

Oh the Eastern Seas, the Eastern Seas, on the shores of the Eastern Seas

But he’ll tarry on, his whole life long, on the shores of the Eastern Seas

____

By Way of Night

(EP // Released March 2018)

As I was on my way, to Coldingham Bay
A long, long way was I walking
As I was on my own, all alone I did go
Until I followed the sound of a-talking

He said, my fair dear
I must be gone for a year
And I heard of her sweet heart breaking

For I’d been there the same
Beneath the quiet fall of rain
After the hurricane

So I went on my way, through sand, soil and clay
But soon a one penny stray was a-calling
So through barley I went, til my last penny spent
And as I gazed at the bright new morning

There was a chorus abound
And a rain that chased the clouds
And so I took to a sheltered awning

Until all that was left again
Was the quiet fall of rain
After the hurricane

But I wondered what if I could go
Back through the memories through which I have grown
Many years for me have flown
But I still remember that day on my own

So as I went on my way, to Coldingham Bay
Along lovers way was I walking
But alone I was not, for a lover I had got
And before very long we were talking

I said my sweetheart dear
At the end of this year
You will tell me that you have found another

So with you I won’t remain
But you’ll see me again
After the hurricane

Mockingbird come sing for me
Tell me all you know
Share your story with the wind
What secrets you must sow

Where stillness falls in silent halls
You echo words you hear
And of those words I ask of you
When are you drawing near

Mockingbird in shades of grey
Mimics as she goes
Can you tell me all you’ve heard
Down on the ground below

She said I can’t tell you where I go
Drifting on the breeze
But through the day I will sing to you
My changing melody

And when the dark cloud turns to rain, and there’s no-one else to know
My mockingbird, she’d share her world, then go

Mockingbird from sky you fell
The four winds carried you
What brought you to my door today
What lofty heights you flew

She told me of the things she’d heard
She whispered in my ear
What wicked things the world must do
To see you lying here

Out on the islands how far can she go
Up with the clouds and then dives down below
Come the evening time I know she must be on her way
So I’ll give you my song to make you stay

But when the dark clouds foretell rain, and there’s no-one else to know
My mockingbird she’d share her world, then go

Across the evening sky, all the birds are leaving
How can they know it's time for them to go?
Before the winter fire, I will still be dreaming
For I have no thought of time

For who knows where the time goes?
Who knows where the time goes?

Sad, deserted shore, your fickle friends are leaving
But then you know, it's time for them to go
But I will still be here, I have no thought of leaving
For I do not count the time

For who knows where the time goes?
Who knows where the time goes?

And I am not alone while my love is near me
I know it will be so until it's time to go
So come the storms of winter, and then the birds in spring again
For I do not fear the time

For who knows how my love grows?
And who knows where the time goes?

At night when all the colours
Drain from the land
A troubadour he plays
He carries the weight of his day, to a bridge above the waves

Way down in the canyon
By the breath of the wind
The moon will shine its light
And there under stars he will sleep, by a fire burning bright

Then sway to the music, cos we all need to dance
And weave to the rhythms of the nights romance
Cos the night beckons warmly
As we’ll raise up our eyes
And by nightfall
We’ll watch the silver moon on the rise

But the day is a river, wending out of sight
But the moon will bless this land
And there by the heat of the fire
We’ll let the music take our hand

Then sway to the music, cos we all need to dance
And weave to the rhythms of the nights romance
Cos the night beckons warmly
But we’ll raise up our eyes
And by nightfall, we’ll watch the silver moon on the rise

And in our eyes, the stars abide, and hear all natures calling
And when the sun, has come undone, the moon will light us all

So sway to the music, cos we all need to dance
And weave to the rhythms of the nights romance
For the night beckons warmly
But we’ll raise up our eyes
And by nightfall, yeah by nightfall

We’ll watch the silver moon on the rise

Well last night I heard a hurricane
As it blew into my room
It flung the gate wide open
As it whistled me a tune

It took the washing from the line
And threw it casually astray
Then it knocked upon my window
As I lay silently awake

But we are ships upon an ocean
With the stars above our heads
And when the night time bears upon us
We’ll be silent in our beds

But the dawn is fast approaching
And the night soon turns to day
One more chance to whisper softly
All the things we cannot say

Oh last night I heard the echoes
Of a song I’d heard before
And old familiar fingers
Knocking heavy at my door

But the morning comes another sun
And bathes the world in light
And there’s a feeling that the days won’t lack
They just roll into the night

But we are ships upon an ocean
With the stars above our heads
When the night time bears upon us
We’ll be silent in our beds

But the dawn is fast approaching
And the night soon turns to day
One more chance to whisper softly
All the things we cannot say

Is it true that ‘til you lose it
You don’t know just what you had
Is it true that these are moments
For which we should be glad

How can I feel a bitter chill
While standing in the sun
Well you ask me have I missed you?
Only when you’re gone

But we are ships upon an ocean
With the stars above our heads
When the night time bears upon us
We’ll be silent in our beds

But the dawn is fast approaching
And the night soon turns to day
One more chance to whisper softly
All the things we cannot say