1. |
||||
|
HIGH ON A MOUNTAIN WITH OLA BELLE REED
I am high but I’m not drinking
I’m as sober as a judge
It’s just lately I’ve been thinking
About the things I really love
In these days as I grow older
Just how wondrous it would be
To be high on a mountain
With Ola Belle Reed
High on a mountain
With Ola Belle Reed
I have traveled on her path
I have followed down her road
I feel her spirit every day
Though she died some years ago
No song I sing can say
How much she means to me
I am high on a mountain
With Ola Belle Reed
High on a mountain
With Ola Belle Reed
On an early summer day
As I walk in Grassy Creek
Such beauty all around
That I can hardly speak
Though my spirit still is strong
I am no longer young
I am so grateful for her songs
I have learned and I have sung
Days of my life, they haven’t flown
More like they washed away
So many things I wish I’d done
All those words I meant to say
How much better would I be
How much farther could I see
If I were high on a mountain
With Ola Belle Reed
High on a mountain
With Ola Belle Reed
|
||||
2. |
In Afghanistan
03:26
|
|||
|
IN AFGHANISTAN
--For Afghan folk singer Fawad Andarabi, dragged from his house by the Taliban and murdered on August 30, 2021
Stay in your home, don’t go outside
Take all precautions, take all care
There is no place where you can hide
There is no safety anywhere
Ooo, ooo,
In Afghanistan
And the time goes by
In Afghanistan
Keep watch all day, keep watch all night
In the country, in the town
Their rifles keep you in their sights
They know your name, they hunt you down
Ooo, ooo,
In Afghanistan
And the time goes by
In Afghanistan
In Afghanistan truth has no place
With gunmen always on patrol
Joy is afraid to show her face
They kill your song, they steal your soul
Bar the windows, bolt the door
Burn your papers and your rhymes
No one is safe, no one secure
The gunmen wait and take their time
Ooo, ooo,
In Afghanistan
And the time goes by
In Afghanistan
The lights go out, the darkness falls
Upon Afghanistan, upon us all
The whole world weeps, a nation cries
The door gives way, a poet dies
Ooo, ooo,
In Afghanistan
And the time goes by
In Afghanistan
And the lights go out
In Afghanistan
|
||||
3. |
Detroit December
04:13
|
|||
|
DETROIT DECEMBER
December brings the King of Kings
They tell us that a child is born
But snowy nights and Christmas lights
They only leave me cold and worn
Salvation bands stretch out their hands
To ask you for a dime or two
To praise the Lord and Henry Ford
Detroit December
The friends I meet along the street
I know them from the factory
But thirty years of cutting gears
Make Christmas seem untrue to me
Eight hours a day to draw my pay
Overtime to see me through
And peace on earth, for what it's worth
Detroit December
The things I had, the things I made
Are tossed like pebbles on the beach
And any thing I want the most
Is always furthest out of reach
To trade these blues for dancing shoes
And trade the old year for the new
But time it seems will steal your dreams
Detroit December
And you…
|
||||
4. |
When The War Is Done
05:12
|
|||
|
WHEN THE WAR IS DONE
So many times in history
We've watched them march away
Some cry out for victory
Some just stand and pray
For this father's daughter
For this mother's son
What will happen to the rest of us
When the war is over
What will happen to the rest of us
When the war is done
Some are quick to honor
Some are quick to blame
Few can face the truth
That this all happens in our name
Before the first shot's fired
Our battle has begun
What will happen to the rest of us
When the war is over
What will happen to the rest of us
When the war is done
Those who fight the battles
Are not those who make the laws
But can bravery be bravery
In an unjust cause
From the hand that signs the order
To the hand that fires the gun
What will happen to the rest of us
When the war is over
What will happen to the rest of us
When the war is done
Some lie solitary
Beneath a hero's stone
Some return to loved ones
But will always be alone
Something sacred will be lost
Even if the war is won
What will happen to the rest of us
When the war is over
What will happen to the rest of us
When the war is done
|
||||
5. |
Take Back The Night
03:36
|
|||
|
TAKE BACK THE NIGHT
The leaves are spinning down the sidewalk
You watch them through the window glass
The couples arm in arm together
The young men laughing as they pass
Behind a web of glass and iron
You see the city under stars
The wind is shaking at the shutters
Like prisoners rattling at their bars
Come join the sound of marching feet
Come join the voices singing in the street
Drive out the dark, bring in light
Take back our hearts, take back our lives
Take back the night
Outside the street is growing quiet
Night is slowly closing in
You hear the anger in the silence
You smell the danger in the wind
Inside the house the walls surround you
The room grows smaller with the dark
The night comes heavy through the window
And settles darkly on your heart
Come join the sound of marching feet
Come join the voices singing in the street
Drive out the dark, bring in light
Take back our hearts, take back our lives
Take back the night
|
||||
6. |
Peace Will Rise
05:42
|
|||
|
PEACE WILL RISE
We were the world’s first colony
We yet may be its last
Five hundred years ruled by another land
The violence, the cruelty
The taking of our past
Who dared to hope that peace might be at hand
The Irish sea that sheltered us
And sometimes kept us safe
Still breaks its heart upon the English shore
But when the storm is over
And the sea lies wide as dreams
Then peace will rise
From these green hills once more
Five centuries have hardened us
To struggle and resist
‘Til neighbors seem like enemies, not friends
Until one day we find within
The courage to desist
From violence that grows and never ends
The Irish sea that sheltered us
And sometimes kept us safe
Still breaks its heart upon the English shore
But when the storm is over
And the sea lies wide as dreams
Then peace will rise
From these green hills once more
If those who prayed for violence
And shed their children’s blood
Can work for peace that lasts beyond all time
Then enemies in other lands
May some day staunch the flood
Of war that breaks all hearts, both yours and mine
The Irish sea that sheltered us
And sometimes kept us safe
Still breaks its heart upon the English shore
But when the storm is over
And the sea lies wide as dreams
Then peace will rise
From these green hills once more
|
||||
7. |
Moonshine Moon
02:40
|
|||
|
MOONSHINE MOON
Moonshine moon
Won’t you be my friend
From setting sun
‘Til the nighttime ends
Won’t you hide your face
Won’t you fade away
As I slip through the dark
At the end of day
Moonshine moon
Don’t you shine at all
From early spring
To late next fall
Won’t you keep faith
Won’t you be true
As I walk up the mountain
To be with you
In the darkest night, at the moon’s eclipse
I will kiss your waiting lips
Your body sweet as a summer flower
As I hold you close at the midnight hour
Moonshine moon
I will depend
On your good grace
‘Til the autumn ends
Where the leaves still hang
From the summer trees
Where my love stands
And waits for me
In the darkest night, at the moon’s eclipse
I will kiss your waiting lips
Your body sweet as a summer flower
As I hold you close at the midnight hour
At the midnight hour…
|
||||
8. |
The Didin Didin
05:06
|
|||
|
THE DIDIN DIDIN
When I was a young girl
I used to go around
With older girls who’d tell me
‘Bout days in Dublin Town
How they did the didin didin
They did the didin down
They did the didin didin
All over Dublin town
So my friend Mary Reilly
And her friend Sally Brown
Took the train from Sligo
And went to Dublin Town
To do the didin didin
To do the didin down
To do the didin didin
All over Dublin town
The taps ran with Guinness
The ale was always brown
My heart flowed with forgiveness
All over Dublin Town
And we did the didin didin
We did the didin down
We did the didn didn
All over Dublin Town
We sang “Kathleen Mavourneen”
“The Star of the County Down”
We sang until the morning
Flowed through Dublin Town
Doing the didin didin
Doing the didin down
Doing the didin didin
All over Dublin town
Young girls take warning
The years are soon flown
Put away your apron
Go to Dublin town
And do the didin didin
Do the didin down
Do the didin didin
All over Dublin town
Doing the didin didin
Doing the didin down
Doing the didin didin
All over Dublin town
All over Dublin town
|
||||
9. |
Belle La Follette
05:19
|
|||
|
BELLE LAFOLLETTE
The slightest chill pervades the air
The winds of soft September
Surround us as we walk alone
Trying to remember
The year is turning like the leaves
The battles she once fought in
Are fading like sweet summer days
Like her, almost forgotten
May we all honor in our work
The heroes of our history
May they return to bring us hope
From roots sunk deep in memory
May old acquaintance be renewed
May no ill wind forestall it
And may we always keep the faith
The faith of Belle LaFollette
No street no highway bears her name
No statue shows her strong and proud
No building tall is named for her
Such silence where she spoke so loud
No mural of the fierce campaigns
She proudly cast her lot in
The present overwhelms the past
Until it’s near forgotten
There are those who hide at home
Waiting for the storm to pass
While others find security
In fighting hard and standing fast
From racial justice to world peace
From Suffrage to the picket line
Belle led the struggles of her day
With vision far beyond her time
|
||||
10. |
Wigan Pier
04:08
|
|||
|
WIGAN PIER
The mines are closed in the northwest country
Time like the colliery wheel stands still
Children at play where the work once called us
The work is gone but we're still here
Living on the road to Wigan Pier
Memory settles like early evening
Light from the Davy Lamps all gone down
Colliery theme parks and miner's statues
Are all the proof that we were here
Living on the road to Wigan Pier
Who will stand and who remember
Who still hears that whistle blow
Who will wait beside the window
For the black-faced miner
Coming down the road
Time marches on just like Coxey's Army
Were those the bad or the good old days
We live in fear of the dream that failed us
The dream is done but we're still here
Living on the road to Wigan Pier
Living on the road to Wigan Pier
Living on the road to Wigan Pier
|
||||
11. |
Molly In The Mill
04:47
|
|||
|
MOLLY IN THE MILL
Standing by her spinning frame
As handsome as I’ve seen
When cotton was a kingdom
She was sure the queen
She was the finest spinner
That lived on the old mill hill
In my dreams I still see Molly
In the mill
In my dreams I still see Molly
And I hear her call my name
She used to keep me spinning
Like bobbins on a frame
She used to leave me breathless
And I’m breathless still
In my dreams I still see Molly
In the mill
We used to work together
Back in those olden times
The dust was like November snow
That blows so soft and fine
She would wind the bobbins
I would skin the quills
In my dreams I still see Molly
In the mill
Now my hair is white as snow
I cannot work no more
Coughing shakes my body
Like a wooden weave room floor
But Molly cannot hear me
She’s sleeping on the hill
In my dreams I still see Molly
In the mill
|
||||
12. |
Mississippi Summer
04:44
|
|||
|
MISSISSIPPI SUMMER
My hands are as cracked as an August field
That’s burned in the sun for a hundred years
With furrows so deep you could hide yourself
But I ain’t chopping cotton no more this year
I’ll just sit on the porch with my eagle eye
And watch for a change of wind
The rows are as straight as a shotgun barrel
And long as a bullet can spin
You know how hot it gets
In Mississippi
You know how dry it gets
In the summer sun
The dust clouds swirl
All down the Delta
I just hope that I don’t die
‘Fore the harvest comes
Black clouds gathering on the edge of town
But no rain’s gonna fall on us
Hoes rise and fall in a distant field
Earth takes a beating for all of us
I thought I heard the Angel of Death overhead
But it’s only the crop duster’s plane
Hoes rise and fall like the beating of wings
Lord send us freedom and rain
You know how hot it gets
In Mississippi
You know how dry it gets
In the summer sun
The dust clouds swirl
All down the Delta
I just hope that I don’t die
‘Fore the harvest comes
|
||||
13. |
||||
|
FREEDOM IS A CONSTANT SONG
I remember 1965
In a country church singing freedom songs
Good people struggling to survive
Asking why must it take so long
Late this evening I can hear
Through my window high above
Young marchers singing back the fear
Against the chill of a dream gone wrong
They bring us courage, hope and love
For freedom is a constant song
Freedom is a constant song
50 years since I first learned
These songs of longing to be free
Past all the bridges that they’ve burned
They hearten and encourage me
Late this evening I can hear
Through my window high above
Young marchers singing back the fear
Against the chill of a dream gone wrong
They bring us courage, hope and love
For freedom is a constant song
Freedom is a constant song
I am so grateful that tonight
I saw these marchers come again
No work to do except what’s right
No words to say except Amen
Late this evening I can hear
Through my window high above
Young marchers singing back the fear
Against the chill of a dream gone wrong
They bring us courage, hope and love
For freedom is a constant song
Freedom is a constant song
|
||||
14. |
People Like You
03:22
|
|||
|
PEOPLE LIKE YOU
Old fighter, you sure took it on the chin
Where’d you ever get the strength to stand
Never giving up or giving in
You know I just want to shake your hand
Because people like you help people like me
Go on, go on
People like you help people like me
Go on, go on
Old battler, with a scar for every town
Thought you were no better than the rest
You wore your colors every way but down
All you ever gave us was your best
But you know that
People like you help people like me
Go on, go on
People like you help people like me
Go on, go on
Old dreamer, with a world in every thought
Where’d you get the vision to keep on
You sure gave back as good as what you got
I hope that when my time is almost gone
They’ll say that
People like me helped people like you
Go on, go on
Because people like you help people like me
Go on, go on, go on
|
||||
Phoebe Rees UK
Phoebe Rees is a multi-instrumentalist and singer from the U.K.
If you like Phoebe Rees, you may also like:
supported by 5 fans who also own “Bring In The Light; Si Kahn's Songs Of Courage And Resistance”
Darling Charms - Would've thought NK would have learned her lesson after the Port 'n' Brandy 😘 xx This whole EP is bangin' btw. Beautiful work xx
go to album
Fatima's Lady Macbeth & Wordless Lullaby
by Nancy Kerr
supported by 4 fans who also own “Bring In The Light; Si Kahn's Songs Of Courage And Resistance”
This is such a beautiful song about migration and language and shared experiences. "As I remember kissing your father...." has me crying.
go to album
Janice Burns & Jon Doran
by Janice Burns & Jon Doran
supported by 4 fans who also own “Bring In The Light; Si Kahn's Songs Of Courage And Resistance”
A real joy to listen to.
go to album
Feel The Ground You Walk Upon
by Lewis McLaughlin
Old-fashioned fiddles harmonize with rippling synths on the Scottish singer-songwriter's latest collection of original folk songs.
go to album
Arcadian Pages
by alex rose ~ canyon counterpoint
The rich, warm songs on “Arcadian Pages” pair delicate instrumentation with assured, slow-winding vocal melodies.
go to album
Looking Out My Window
by CARLENE
Drift away with these dreamlike songs from reclusive folk singer CARLENE, who pairs evocative lyrics with hushed arrangements.
go to album
Rakes and Misfits
by Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne
supported by 4 fans who also own “Bring In The Light; Si Kahn's Songs Of Courage And Resistance”
lovely sounds!! I get lost in the melodious swirls and stories
go to album
