the_vulture (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
the_vulture) wrote2008-08-23 11:52 pm
the_vulture) wrote2008-08-23 11:52 pm
I'll be back again and again and again and again and again...
I adore Spiral Dance's Woman of the Earth. It is a beautiful and powerful accounting of every woman's spiritual connection to the Mother Goddess. But, sadly, to really feel the fullness of its magic, one would have to be a member of the gender it is written for, specifically, a woman. (Not that this has stopped me from regarding this as the most spiritually song to have ever Drawn Down the Moon to, but I digress...)
Since first hearing that song, I have always kept an ear out for a similar sort of song that would suitably connect men to the pagan heart. Sadly, for the longest time, the closest I've ever found is Creature of the Wood by Heather Alexander (as performed by Phoenyx), which depicts a Pan-like (and very masculine) figure from the first person perspective. However, while it embraces some elements of a masculine and pagan God-figure, it just doesn't suit the purpose, nor does it resonate strongly enough, especially as it is performed by a female vocalist.
However, I think I've finally found a song that works. Ironically, instead of discovering a new source of pagan folk music, I've rediscovered pagan meaning in a song that probably was not intended for such purposes, especially given the quite mainstream performing artists. I've actually had this song in my collection for quite some time, but never really listened to the meaning behind the lyrics until recently. It might not be so obvious, but this song speaks of all that men are about, good and bad, and their eternal connection to each other and the universe as whole. Indeed, the song clearly describes the concept of the Wheel of Life, though not naming it directly.
To sing about a man's connection to the spiritual realm, I present Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings, and Johhny Cash, The Highwaymen, singing a cover of Jimmy Webb's The Highwayman:
The Highwayman
Jimmy Webb
I was a highwayman. Along the coach roads I did ride
With sword and pistol by my side
Many a young maid lost her baubles to my trade
Many a soldier shed his lifeblood on my blade
The bastards hung me in the spring of twenty-five
But I am still alive.
I was a sailor. I was born upon the tide
And with the sea I did abide.
I sailed a schooner round the Horn to Mexico
I went aloft and furled the mainsail in a blow
And when the yards broke off they said that I got killed
But I am living still.
I was a dam builder across the river deep and wide
Where steel and water did collide
A place called Boulder on the wild Colorado
I slipped and fell into the wet concrete below
They buried me in that great tomb that knows no sound
But I am still around..I'll always be around..and around and around and
around and around
I fly a starship across the Universe divide
And when I reach the other side
I'll find a place to rest my spirit if I can
Perhaps I may become a highwayman again
Or I may simply be a single drop of rain
But I will remain
And I'll be back again, and again and again and again and again..
For the purposes of comparison, Spiral Dance's Woman of the Earth:
Since first hearing that song, I have always kept an ear out for a similar sort of song that would suitably connect men to the pagan heart. Sadly, for the longest time, the closest I've ever found is Creature of the Wood by Heather Alexander (as performed by Phoenyx), which depicts a Pan-like (and very masculine) figure from the first person perspective. However, while it embraces some elements of a masculine and pagan God-figure, it just doesn't suit the purpose, nor does it resonate strongly enough, especially as it is performed by a female vocalist.
However, I think I've finally found a song that works. Ironically, instead of discovering a new source of pagan folk music, I've rediscovered pagan meaning in a song that probably was not intended for such purposes, especially given the quite mainstream performing artists. I've actually had this song in my collection for quite some time, but never really listened to the meaning behind the lyrics until recently. It might not be so obvious, but this song speaks of all that men are about, good and bad, and their eternal connection to each other and the universe as whole. Indeed, the song clearly describes the concept of the Wheel of Life, though not naming it directly.
To sing about a man's connection to the spiritual realm, I present Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings, and Johhny Cash, The Highwaymen, singing a cover of Jimmy Webb's The Highwayman:
The Highwayman
Jimmy Webb
I was a highwayman. Along the coach roads I did ride
With sword and pistol by my side
Many a young maid lost her baubles to my trade
Many a soldier shed his lifeblood on my blade
The bastards hung me in the spring of twenty-five
But I am still alive.
I was a sailor. I was born upon the tide
And with the sea I did abide.
I sailed a schooner round the Horn to Mexico
I went aloft and furled the mainsail in a blow
And when the yards broke off they said that I got killed
But I am living still.
I was a dam builder across the river deep and wide
Where steel and water did collide
A place called Boulder on the wild Colorado
I slipped and fell into the wet concrete below
They buried me in that great tomb that knows no sound
But I am still around..I'll always be around..and around and around and
around and around
I fly a starship across the Universe divide
And when I reach the other side
I'll find a place to rest my spirit if I can
Perhaps I may become a highwayman again
Or I may simply be a single drop of rain
But I will remain
And I'll be back again, and again and again and again and again..
For the purposes of comparison, Spiral Dance's Woman of the Earth:
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*smile*
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnfFgrhn7Kk
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