Get all 12 Damh the Bard releases available on Bandcamp and save 10%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Under the Trees, Y Mabinogi - The Third Branch, Y Mabinogi - The Second Branch, Y Mabinogi - The First Branch, Sabbat, Antlered Crown and Standing Stone, As Nature Intended - LIVE, Tales from the Crow Man, and 4 more.
1. |
Sabbat
05:13
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VERSE 1
The day is done I turn my gaze towards the setting sun,
I taste the incense on the air, I hear the sound of drums,
The chill of the evening descends.
All day long I’ve been working hard for the man,
But now’s the time to ditch this skin and be who I am,
Some people just don’t understand,
You can keep your Devil I’ll dance with Pan!
Chorus:
For I will fly free,
On the wings of ecstasy,
And I will dance free,
To the music of Faerie.
Imbolc, Beltane,
Lughnasadh and Samhain,
Equinox and Solstice,
On hilltops in forests tonight,
To the Sabbat I will ride.
VERSE 2
I will dance with the Fearie Queen beneath the silver moon,
I will taste the honey mead and chant the Witch’s Rune,
My heart with the pulse of the land.
Witness now the union of chalice and of blade,
Of life and death and life again the union is made,
By power of land and of sea,
By power of will, so mote it be!
VERSE 3
The night is done the sun will rise on a brand new day,
And I along with millions go out to earn our pay,
People see just what they want to see.
But I have danced with the Faerie Queen, shared the mead of the sun.
I have worn the Oaken Crown before the Horned One,
And I’ll know it’s time to return,
When I see those Pagan fires burn!
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2. |
The Wicker Man
05:57
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Gather branches of hazel, Oak and ash and thorn,
Tie them with a green willow,
Blessed by a crown of horn,
The corn headless before us,
Falls down to the scythe,
Weave him with thanksgiving,
Place the Corn Doll inside.Give thanks to our Mother,
And the Green Man of the Spring,
Thank the Goddess of Harvest,
Thanks to the Fallen King,
The three men from the west.
Their fortunes for to try,
And they did all agree,
John Barleycorn must die.
Chorus:
Wicker Man, oh Wicker Man,
Like a mighty God you stand,
You are guardian of our land,
Take our prayers oh Wicker Man.
Wicker Man, oh Wicker Man,
Like a mighty God you stand,
You are guardian of our land,
Take our prayers oh Wicker Man.
What starts with the smallest ember,
Is fed like blood through veins,
Kissed by a flaming arrow,
Aroused into towering flames,
Give our prayers of thanksgiving,
To life and John Barleycorn,
Death is a new beginning,
What dies shall be reborn.
Can you hear the chanting,
To the sound of Pagan drums,
Hear our voices singing,
The sacrifice begun,
The flames they will devour him,
See him bow his head,
Then we’ll jump the fires burning,
The Wicker Man is dead….and we shall have our bread.
(Additional Chants)
Fire the arrow,
Let him burn!
Burn him, Burn him,
Burn him, Burn him,
Burn him, Burn him,
Burn him, Burn!
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3. |
Scarborough Faire
04:22
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VERSE 1
Are you going to Scarborough Faire,
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme,
Remember me to one who lives there,
She once was a true love of mine.
VERSE 2
Tell her to make me a cambric shirt,
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme,
Without no sleeves nor needlework,
Then she’ll be a true love of mine,
VERSE 3
Tell her to find me an acre of land,
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme,
Between the salt water and the sea strand,
Then she’ll be a true love of mine.
VERSE 4
Tell her to plough it with a lamb’s horn,
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme,
And sow it all o’er with one peppercorn,
Then she’ll be a true love of mine.
VERSE 5
Tell her to reap it with a sickle of leather,
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme,
A thrash it all out with a bunch of heather,
Then she’ll be a true love of mine.
VERSE 6
Are you going to Scarborough Faire,
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme,
Remember me to one who lives there,
She once was a true love of mine.
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4. |
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Verse 1
Ancient stone, shadows of firelight, conspire to conceal,
This was my home, a shelter from the night, now every brush reveals,
How I ran with the wild, I ran with my brothers, with arrow and with spear,
I leave you this gift, of 10,000 years.
Verse 2
Romans came, a mighty army, to the shores of Ynys Mon,
I’ve heard it said, I’ve heard the story, the Druids have all gone.
But what stays in our hearts, remains in our memory, with story and with song,
And they have been here, all along.
Chorus
The Ancients opened the door,
We’re the same as ever before,
We will hear you forevermore,
Evermore.
So by peace and love we stand,
Heart to heart and hand in hand,
On the shoulders of giants we stand.
Verse 3
Is the path lost, is it broken, fallen from our hands,
Like shards of glass, worn by the ocean, into grains of sand.
But they’re raised by the wind, and scattered like ashes, all across the land,
And we won’t forget, we understand.
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5. |
Iron from Stone
04:00
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Verse 1
As I rode out one morning,
Just as the day was dawning,
I gave my usual greeting to the Sun.
To seek my inspiration
I knew my destination
A standing stone down where the river runs.
Seeing no one else in sight
I sat down to write
But I was not alone
The Sun a little colder
A hand upon my shoulder
A shadow fell across the ancient stone.
Verse 2
He asked what I was writing
It sounded so inviting
I said I just tell stories with song.
The melody compelling
Said he had a tale worth telling
And promised that it wouldn’t take too long
He never would forget
How his true love he met
At a county faire
Of land by the sea
A Cambric shirt with no seams
And of a life that they would never share.
Verse 3
He thought they’d be together
To live their lives forever
But realised that he would soon be gone
Behind doors that were closing
From the will we were imposing
On the land we depend upon.
Their story will be sung
For many years to come
But we reap what we have sown
Two broken hearts
Two worlds torn apart
From the day we made iron from stone.
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6. |
Lady in Black
04:15
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She came to me one morning, one lonely Sunday morning,
Her long hair flowing in the mid-winter wind.
I know not how she found me, for in darkness I was walking,
And destruction lay around me from a fight I could not win.
She asked me name my foe then. I said the need within some men
To fight and kill their brothers without thought of men or god.
I begged her give me horses to trample down my enemies,
So eager was my passion to devour this waste of life.
But she would not think of battle that reduces men to animals,
So easy to begin and yet impossible to end.
For she the mother of all men had counseled me so wisely that
I feared to walk alone again and asked if she would stay.
“Oh lady lend your hand,” I cried, “Oh let me rest here at your side.”
“Have faith and trust in me,” she said and filled my heart with life.
“There is no strength in numbers. have no such misconceptions.
But when you need me be assured I won’t be far away.”
Thus having spoke she turned away and though I found no words to say
I stood and watched until I saw her black cloak disappear.
My labour is no easier, but now I know I’m not alone.
I find new heart each time I think upon that windy day.
And if one day she comes to you drink deeply from her words so wise.
Take courage from her as your prize and say hello for me.
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7. |
When You Were Born
03:17
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Verse 1
When you were born,
The nights were getting longer, and I knew I must be stronger,
Than I had been.
When you were born,
Looking forward to your chatter, and the little pitter patter,
Of your feet.
Son I heard your heart stop,
And the silence felt forever,
I called out to the land the sea and sky,
I held my arms out to you,
I’d hold you close forever,
Fell to my knees when you opened your eyes.
Verse 2
When you were born,
The lessons from your brother, to me and to your mother,
Kept you safe.
When you were born,
You looked so unconcerned, like you had just returned,
To this place.
Hand prints on the walls,
Little pictures home from school,
Are gone in the blinking of an eye,
But there’s no love that’s stronger,
No love that lasts longer,
You’re my sons, until the day I die.
Verse 3
Time moves on,
Falling grains of sand, I let go of your hand,
And watch you go.
Time moves on,
From the day that you were born, to the men that you’ve become,
I’ve watched you grow.
Your hearts may break,
And you will make mistakes,
Life it can be hard it’s true.
But when your baby cries,
And you look into their eyes,
You’ll know the love I felt for you, I feel for you.
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8. |
Forgotten, Never Be
06:32
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VERSE 1
On a winter’s night,
Bathed in starlight,
We’ll sing our Wassail prayer,
Some toast and good beer,
Raised in good cheer,
To apple and to pear,
Our guns will inspire,
The fruit of desire,
And ale we will share,
Ale we will share.
CHORUS
And the snow is falling,
Her Cloak is laying all over the land.
VERSE 2
On the 1st of May,
At the break of day,
Summer is born,
We’ll dance a Morris tune,
With the setting of the Moon,
And we will greet the dawn,
The Winter we dispel,
With the sound of Morris bell,
So pass the drinking horn,
Pass the drinking horn.
CHORUS
And the Sun is rising,
The Green Man growing all over the land.
VERSE 3
As night it falls down,
On quiet county towns,
It’s hard to believe,
Torches they are raised,
And the bonfires blaze,
This November eve,
The Pope we defy,
As fire fills the sky.
The prayers they decree,
Forgotten, never be.
CHORUS
And the fires are burning,
And the sky is blazing all over the land.
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9. |
Time Machine
05:24
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Last night I had a crazy dream,
I’d built myself a time machine,
Said goodbye to all my friends,
Set the date and off I went.
I went back to 69,
Heard Hendrix play for the very first time,
I cried when I heard Jim Morrison sing,
Gave the 12 steps to the Lizard King.
Chorus
As pages turn,
Let us learn, let us learn.
As pages turn,
Let us learn, let us learn.
So I went to meet Jesus Christ,
Before he paid his father's price,
I saw Prophet Mohammed too,
Didn’t try to change their point of view.
The only thing I wanted them to hear,
Was to make their message crystal clear,
That peace is love, and love is peace,
Just hear those words and find release.
I went to hear Taliesin sing,
Spoke to Merlin about the future king,
I saw Stonehenge and what it’s for.
But I don’t think I should say much more.
My dream, well, it made me see,
That our time machine is our history.
And we have to do all it takes,
To stop making the same mistakes.
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10. |
Thundersbarrow Hill
06:11
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Verse 1
High upon the Southern Downs,
Through fields and over stile,
I walked to old Thundersbarrow Hill,
Where I stopped to rest a while,
Then I saw a mighty hammer,
And a dragon in full sail,
It’s then a voice tell its tale.
Verse 2
I will tell you of my Father,
Fury was his name.
A God of War with a poet’s tongue,
To him they were the same.
He created all of Midgard,
Every field and hill and vale,
In the oceans a great serpent ate its tail.
Chorus
Nine days to hang on Yggdrasil,
Nine nights upon the tree,
To learn the wisdom of the Runes,
While Thought and Memory,
Fly high over Midgard,
My stories for to tell,
To those who stop to rest a while,
On Thundersbarrow Hill.
Verse 3
I will tell you of the sacred well,
Neath the roots of Yggdrasil,
My Father asked of Great Mimir,
If he could drink his fill,
Blinded to all wisdom,
The gifts prophecy,
He gave his eye,
So he could clearly see.
Verse 4
I felt the breath of Summer,
I heard the Skylark’s song,
And the curve of Thundersbarrow Hill,
That I had slept upon.
This land remembers stories,
Of all who came before,
And it will tell those tales,
Forevermore.
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Damh the Bard Brighton
Damh the Bard – is a modern-day Bard whose spirituality and love of folk tradition is expressed through his music, storytelling and poetry. Drawing on the Bardic tradition, his performances are both entertaining and educational, speaking directly to the heart, and never without a good splash of humour. ... more
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