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Now gather 'round
My dear old friends
And hearken to my tales
'bout distant lands
And ancient folks
And ships with painted sails
See smoke curl up
And water crash
Upon rocks aeons old
And sit around
The fire warm
'Til all stories are told
These songs that I sing ye
Tell of places far away
Of countries long forgotten
And of nations gone astray
The legends I recount here
Happened very long ago
When rivers were still young
And the night sky would still glow
When twilight falls
Fear not the dark
And heed no nightly sounds
The sun will rise
It brings the warmth
To our sacred grounds
When clouds foretell
Of rains to fall
Of East winds loud and fell
Then listen well
And pay good heed
To what they have to tell
So pass the bottle round, friends
And drink the amber wine
Dance around the fire
On fruits and meat we'll dine
And should the flames die out
Reduced to embers red
Then say your nightly farewell
And retire to your bed
And in your dreams return to
The lands of which I sang
See old, forgotten places
In which once laughter sprang
Travel up and down the lands
Until you see the fuming sea
And keep my Fireside Tales
Ever in your memory
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Let's start our tale in an endless field of stunning green
Where the drift of waving grass would fill your view for as far as you could see
Eyes to the sky, a flock of birds, up against the blue and white
Clouds, they pass along the heavens, flying ever steadily towards their unknown
Home, a small old house, all made of wood, it stands alone
With two windows, and a door, a fenced-in garden, a red roof and a chimney that puffs out
Smoke, it rises up to greet the birds as they rush on past, the Sun is setting now
Two streams of light
Out through the windows
They split the night
They shine a glistening "Welcome!"
Open door
Come on inside
You bathe in the warm gleam of the oven's fire as you step in a room filled with song and laughs and life
Go take a seat
Tell us what you've been up to
The smell of food
The crackling flames
Familiar voices
A smiling face
And that shimmer in their eyes screaming "you're gonna be okay!"
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When the First Tree fell
The mountains all broke out in tears
And they washed down the slopes
Forming an ocean fierce
The branches all snapped when
The great trunk smote the ground
And the fragments were scattered
So that they never be found
And when the tree was uprooted
A great ravine opened up
It swallowed the killer
Who down the tree had cut
When the Second Tree fell
A great fire broke out
And it burned all the animals
Their cries were heard clear and loud
The night sky was blazing
As the flames danced around
All the beasts tried to flee, but
They were all hunted down
The embers were flying
Setting all things alight
And so nothing escaped them
Until the last one died
When the Third Tree fell
The gold leaves conjured up a storm
Which blew all things away
Until no thing remained
The wind carried the ashes
Far out into the sea
All the waters turned grey
Poison no one could heal
And then the ravine swallowed the ocean
It closed up as if nothing had been
And later on that same spot were growing
Three young saplings green
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There once was an old man
Who had eight old hats
And he'd wear them together
Having one for each head
He would go to the city
With a bowl full of soup
Where'd he'd search for his one love
To take back to his troupe
In his troupe was a young boy
Who could see music sweet
And with him he'd travel
To paint the mockingbird's bleat
There was also a donkey
With a grin, bright as day
And it would laugh at the paintings
While slowly munching its hay
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Beneath an old gnarly maple tree
That on the mountainside stands
Sat a lonesome young boy of ten years
Bloody-nosed and cuts on his hands
And he looked down into the valley
At the town sprawled out at his feet
And he cursed all that lived there, saying:
"May the Ocean set these buildings free!"
At this the old tree came to life
And the leaves rustled like in a storm
As she reared her head, raised her voice and called out
The shout echoed throughout the valley
And it rolled down the grassy slopes
The birds all cried in response and took to the skies
And a great tremor then shook the Earth
As the foundations all were undone
And the houses rose out of the ground and started to dance
The lampposts all trembled as the great procession marched through the streets
And the picket fences snuck off to the orchard to play hide and seek
The mill tumbled down doing cartwheels after every step
While the well coughed up all of its water, turning all the grounds wet
And one by one
All the buildings fell in line
And they raised a great shout
Remembered for all time:
"We shall go, we shall go, do not wait for our return!"
"The Great Ocean has called, that its waves may churn!"
"Us to dust!"
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And that shimmer in their eyes
Screaming "you're gonna be okay!"
No more talk
Empty Room
The illusion fades
Time has moved on
The dust has settled
Fire's gone out
Only ash remains
You stir the hearth
And the sudden flight of the sparks
Takes you back to that day in the fields
Near the house and you run
Out the door and down the lawn
Across the stream and on and on
Further on, up on the hill
Don't let your feet grow still
Flap your arms, take off and fly
Past the treetops standing high
And then at last land fair and proud
In soft white cushions of a cloud
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Breathe in, breathe out
Take in your surroundings
Break free, get up
As their smiles start to crack
Breathe out, breathe in
Cut your losses
Find a way out
Run, don't look back
You
Were never meant to brave this storm alone
So please forgive us for not
Helping you out sooner
And now the damage is done
And now the damage is done
Oh, now the damage is done
Ivory tower
Up on that hill
Gaping windows
Make sure to keep still
Forced wide open
And torn apart
Remnants of your soul
Escaping from your heart
We
Never meant to leave you behind
So please forgive us for not
Hanging around
'til you were all out of time
Were all out of time
Yeah, now you're all out of time
My heart whispers to you
Words that I cannot say,
Wonder if my soul would
Tell you some fateful day.
Long after I am dead
Buried and ground to dust,
Heavens will this message
Reach your heart if it must.
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A small little album with various songs that might pass as fireside tales in music form c:
released December 24, 2020
