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Spirit of Albion - 2021 Remastered

by Damh the Bard

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1.
Spirit of Albion (Damh the Bard) An isle so fair, a isle so green, Known by many names. Feel the pulse, the pulse of the land, The blood boils within your veins. Someone go down to the Holy Well and raise the Spirits there! Lay a feather on a stone, with a flame, and a lock of hair. (Chorus) The Crane, the wolf, the bear and the boar, No longer dwell upon these shores, You say that the Goddess and God have gone, Well I tell you they live on! For in the cities and hills, And in circles of stone, The voices of the Old Ways, The Spirit of Albion is calling you home! From Manwydden's crashing sea, To the moor and the Highland Glen. From the Faerie Hills, home of the Sidhe, To the veins of the Broad and the Fen. Someone go down to the Holy Trees of Oak and Ash and Thorn! Utter a charm in the verse of three, Till the Summer King is born! Ride the white horses carved into the hills, Walk to the Hanging Stones. Bow to the might of Cerne Abbass' height, Feel the peace in the Ancestors' homes. Someone go down to Wilmington where the Giant guards the way! Step into the Otherworld, into the womb, Where centuries pass like a day!
2.
Taliesin's Song (Damh the Bard) I was in the court of kings, I saw great halls and countless gems, T'was where I heard Taliesin sing, Of the love of women and the deeds of men. The Awen's light filled his eyes, A fire burned within his head, As he sang of times long past and cried, For Merlin, Arthur and Galahad. (Chorus) Manwydden, Cerridwen, The Old Ones let us sing to them, Arianrhod, Bran and Bel. Blodeuwedd, Cealleach, The Old Gods they are coming back. Listen people to the tales I tell. I have been a crashing wave, A stallion across the sea, And I have been a rutting stag, And I hold Albion's destiny. The Cauldron deep in Annwn's mist, With Blackthorn staff I travelled there, And Arthur whom fate did kiss, The Seven Castles we did dare! I have seen the plants and trees, Great Oak the Ash and sacred Thorn, Bring Annwn's Host to its knees, And suffer mighty Gwydion's scorn. But still the fight could not be won, Until they guessed the giant's name, Ravens and Alder on his shield, "By the branch you bare, Bran is your name!"
3.
When I become the Moon (Eliza Gilkyson) I remember yesterday, when I become the moon When all the stars came out to play, we danced away the gloom Circled 'round the ring of stones before they fell in ruin I can hear our voices still, when I become the moon High Diana ruled the wood, traces still remain Shared the wisdom and the herb, shared the joy and pain Echoes of life's passion play still haunt the bride and groom But they'll be wed again someday, when I become the moon Soldiers of the holy war, holy greed command Claimed the Earth and all her shores, stole Diana's land But in my heart there lingers still the dark of her perfume I drink the earthy wine until I become the moon All that's left is history, and Diana's blood and bone Fragments of a mystery, her story is our own But undercover of the stars her secret is exhumed I bow before her beauty now, and I....become....the moon.
4.
The Wheel (Damh the Bard) As the sunrise on the shortest day my crying greets the dawn. Tears of dew form on the web As I am reborn. Feel new life spring from the Earth, As the Mother of All Life gives birth. Though I am a child I will soon become a man. Feel the warmth upon your skin, Sense the animal inside. As every creature on the land, Feels the rising tide. The natural rhythms of the land, As the Goddess takes my hand, Into the Forest Green with the Horned Man. The waves of corn have turned to gold, My time is drawing near. I see my Lady smile at me, Inside I feel no fear. As She raises the scythe above Her head. Blood spills on the Earth as I fall dead, In the Otherworld I guard Her throne 'til She returns
5.
Noon of the Solstice (Damh the Bard) In times long past lived a Man of green, And his footsteps brought life wherever he'd been. In the deepest wildwood was the place he was seen, And the people did love and protect him. And they saw his face change, with the turn of the Wheel of the Seasons, They heard his voice sing. (Chorus) I'm the Horned God, I'm the face in the trees, I'm the breath of the wind that rustles the leaves, I'm the Green Man in the wildwood I roam, Cernunnos, I'm Pan and I'm Herne. I shall be as the Dark Holly King, Darkness and cold in my cloak I will bring, And on Winter's nights to me you will sing, Till the air around me starts changing, And on the noon of the solstice I'll give up my crown, To the Light and the Mighty Oak King. All Summer long I shall rule just and fair, Bring your crops to fruit with the light that I share, With fire and water, from earth into air, But the Wheel it keeps steadily turning. And on the noon of the Solstice I'll give up my crown, To the cold and the Dark Holly King. T'is now modern times and the Summer is here, The Winter has gone and the air it is clear, On a fine day I walked through a woods I live near, When a battle I spied through a clearing, Two giants of leaves, one light and one dark, Even now the Wheel it is turning!
6.
Morrighan (Damh the Bard) Fingers of mist caress Soldiers and fallen kings, A field lies silent As an old crow spreads her wings (Chorus) What do you see? What do you see? Cast your viel over the Sun. Morrighan I have washed the blood away And each will take your turn, Another life given to me, When will you ever learn? (Bridge 1) And the will of man, Lies heavy on the land, Until you change your plan, I’ll be ready. Night is falling, But it’s the noon of the day, A flight of Ravens here, To carry our souls away. (Bridge 2) I am the Phantom Queen, And everything you’ve been, And everything you’ve killed, And all the blood you’ve spilled, All the bullets and the guns, All the Fathers and the Sons, Lying dead in the streets, Children crying at their feet, Is this the world you want? Look, the sun is fading away….
7.
Save Me (Damh the Bard) The young boy sat in his room, Drawing circles on a page, Endless spirals in the gloom, His Mother said, “Just act your age!” But his mind still dreams of Fairyland Of magic and mystery, Why does no one seem to understand, Or see what he sees. Chorus Save me, save me, won't somebody save me (repeat) Mirror on the wall, Who is the fairest of them all? The girl she was before, The girl she can barely recall, Or the old woman at her shoulder, With sadness in her eyes, Will she be her when she’s older? She hangs her head and cries. Bridge: But the light in your eyes says darling, It'll be okay, Your life is there waiting for you, And you need to say is....(Chorus) An old photograph, Of a girl he once knew, She called yesterday, What is he going to do? He’ll take the glass slipper, Through hill and vale, And happy ever after, Will end the Fairy tale.
8.
Oak, Broom & Meadowsweet (Damh the Bard) Gather 'round people let me spin you a tale, Of a Mother's anger and a curse doomed to fail. Arianrhod's baby whom she did disown, And Gwydion stole him to raise as his own. Well the boy he grew to be strong and brave, But his Mother cursed him not to be given a name. When he cast a stone where a Wren it did land, She said, "The Young Lion has a Steady Hand!" (Chorus) Call the May, Call the May, Call the May, Call the May, Gather 'round people and call in the May. Call the May, Call the May, Call the May, Call the May, Gather 'round people and call in the May. So she laid upon him a new destiny, "You shall never have any weapons unless given by me". Then a phantom army by Gwydion's charms, Forced Arianrhod to give Llew his arms. Then in rage and torment she laid down this curse, "You shall never marry a woman of the race of the Earth". So Gwydion and Math planned to foil her hate, And with the herbs of the forest they twisted his fate. So they gathered from the forest, from the Grove where they meet, Flowers of Oak, Broom and Meadowsweet. And uttering upon them a Verse of Power, A figure began to form from the flowers. Oh rise, and wake, fairest Lady of Spring! Come and be wed to the Forest King! Flower-face is your name oh Blodeuwedd, You carry life within your breath! Come Oak, broom and meadowsweet, Come Oak, broom and meadowsweet, Come Oak, broom and meadowsweet, Come hawthorn, come May! Come Oak, broom and meadowsweet, Come Oak, broom and meadowsweet, Come Oak, broom and meadowsweet, Come Blodeuwedd, come wake!
9.
The Sun & the Rose (Damh the Bard) Look at the Sun, see how he shines, Lighting up every part of our lives, Calling the life, out from the dark, Climbing up higher into the light, I wonder if he, feels like me, A Sun in the sky all alone, Sending out rays, rays of light, But never finding his way back home. (bridge) Oh, where are you in the dark? Oh, from shadows you call me But I, I cannot see you! (Chorus) Where is the love, where does it shine? I look at the world, and nothing I find! On a mountain I stand, calling your name, I reach out my hand, will you do the same? Look at the rose, the flower of love, With petals as soft as a lover’s touch, So warm and so sweet, you breathe in her scent, Oh but make sure you don’t breathe in too much, For beneath the flowers lies the thorn, Ready to tare your skin, But the love it calls, and surrender you fall, And the flower enfolds you within.
10.
Domeana (Trad. Arr. Damh the Bard) As Jack went a-walking all on a fine day, Well a Squire and his Lady came walking that way, And the Squire to the Lady did say, “Tonight with you love I mean to lay” With me Domeana, demeana, domeana, day.“ Just tie a string, all around you finger, And let the other end dangle down from your window. And I’ll come by and I’ll pull the string, And you’ll come down and you’ll let me in” With me Domeana, demeana, domeana, day. Jack says to himself, “I’ve a mind for to try, And see if a poor sailor he can’t win that prize.” So Jack walks by, and he pulls the string, And she came down and she let old Jack in. With his Domeana, demeana, domeana, day. The Squire came a-riding, he was singing a song, He was thinking to himself how it wouldn’t be long, But when he arrived no string he found, And all of his hopes were all dashed to the ground. With his Domeana, demeana, domeana, day. It was early in the morning it was just getting light, Well the Lady woke up with a terrible fright! For there lay Jack in his tarry old shirt, And behold his face was all covered in dirt, With his Domeana, demeana, domeana, day. “Oh what do you mean, you tarry sailor! Sneaking in a Lady’s chamber to steal her treasure!” “Oh no,” says Jack. “I just pulled a string, And you came down and you let me in.” With me Domeana, demeana, domeana, day. Jack says to the Lady, “Your pardon I pray, I’ll steal away very quietly at the break of the day.” “Oh no,” she says, “Don’t you go too far, For I never will part from my Jolly Jack Tar, And his Domeana, demeana, domeana, day.”
11.
Isis Unveiled (Damh the Bard) Play the game create the time, With every move and line, Jackal God against the Moon, And the game will be over soon. Can you hear the Earth sighing? As he turns towards the sky, The time of Ra is ending, And the Sun begins to die. Chorus Can you feel it changing? Can you see her in the night? Can you feel it changing? Sky and Earth they are as one, Conceive daughter and sons, Sister, lover, Goddess, Queen, Mother to every living being, Your light creates a shadow, As you show your face unveiled, Your brother Set betrays you, There’s a coffin on the Nile. Fourteen pieces to the wind, To all parts of the land, Scattered widely she will find, And make a lover from her hands, The rain, her tears of gladness, Fall to the fertile ground, And Set caught in his madness, To the desert he is bound.
12.
The Winter King (Damh the Bard) Facing the west to a distant land, Gazing out to the sea, Standing on Cornwall's rocky shore, The crashing waves far below me, I heard a woman calling my name, Her voice the voice of a friend, And she said, "Now hear me, I'm Morgan le Fey, Let me tell you a story with no end." The life of a man, the life of a King, The love for a Queen, Pendragon of Britain, Sovereign of the Land, The mightiest warrior ever seen. The Magic Sword in his hand, Like lightning, cut through the air. A gift of the Goddess, Lady of the Lake, To Valiant Arthur, the Bear. In the heart of Dumnonia stands a tower, An Isle on a sea of glass. Where Merlin planned the Old Gods of the Land, Would return to Britain at last. Twelve of the Thirteen Treasures were there, Clyddno Eiddin's Cauldron the quest, On Prydwen they sailed, Into the Otherworld, None but seven returned from the west.

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Fully remastered in 2021

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released March 9, 2006

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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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