The Witch Of Westmoorland, Stan's best

I think they've got this one on here. You really should hear it sometime. A very powerful tune.

The Athens Queen

We were drinking down to Reedy's house
When first we heard the blow
It seemed to come from Ripper Rock
So boldly forth to go

And sure enough the rusty tub
Could just be barely seen
As her stern was high up in the air
We made out Athens Queen

O, the lovely Athens Queen

Me boys I must remind you
There's a bottle left inside
So let us go and have a few
And wait until low tide

And if the sea's not claimed her
When the glasses are licked clean
We will then set forth some dories lads
And see what may be seen

On the lovely Athens Queen

Some songs and old tall stories then
Came out to pass the time
Nor could a single bottle
Keep us all until low tide

And so it was before we left
The house we were at sea
So we scarcely can remember
How we made the Athens Queen

O, the lovely Athens Queen

O the waves inside me belly
Were as high as those outside
And though I'm never seasick I
lost dinner overside

T'was well there was no crew to save
For we'd have scared 'em green
We could scarcely keep ourselves
From falling off the Athens Queen

O, the lovely Athens Queen

Well Reedy goes straight down below
And comes up with a cow
Hello I said now what would you
Be wantin' with that now

You'll never take the cow home
In a dory on such sea
Well me friend he says I've always fancied
Fresh cream in me tea

For the lovely Athens Queen

I headed for the galley then
Cause I was rather dry
And glad I was to get there quick
For what should I spy

O what a shame it would have been
For to lose it all at sea
Forty cases of the best Napolean
Brandy ever seen

On the lovely Athens Queen

I loaded twenty cases boys
Then headed for the shore
Unloaded them as quick as that
And then pulled back for more

Smith was pullin' for the shore
But he could scarce be seen
Under near two hundred chickens
And a leather couch of green

From the lovely Athens Queen

So here's to all good salvagers
Likewise to Ripper Rock
And to Napolean brandy of which
Now we have much stock

We eat a lot of chicken
And sit on a couch of green
And we wait for Ripper Rock
To claim another Athens Queen

O, the lovely Athens Queen

Acadian Saturday Night

Uncle Emile, he's gone now nearly ten days
He tole his wife's he's gone for the fishing
But in the waters off St. Pierre and Miquelon Isles
The fish come in bottles of gold
If the Anne-Marie floats and the Mounties stay blind
He'll be back before the moon is rising
With a very fine catch all safe in the hold
Thirty cases of Trinidad light
For Acadian Saturday night.

Emmeline Comeau works the general store
Papa says she's good for the custom
She's go eyes like fire and hair past her shoulders
As shiny black as ant'racite coal
You can see her Sunday morning on the St Phillipe road
Her mother close behind like a dragon
But her mama doesn't know what she does behind the hall
Away from the music and lights
On Acadian Saturday night.

(Chorus)
Oh - don't the fiddles make you roll
'Til your heart she pounds like a hammer
There's a fat lady beating her piano like a drum
And everybody's higher than a kite
On Acadian Saturday night.

Granpa says it was better in his day
The Mounties stayed away from the parties
And he didn't mind a fight when the spirits got high
(You could always throw them out in the snow)
And the rum was better and it came in bigger bottles
And the revenue cutters were slow -
Still, the old Anne-Marie has wings on the water
And there's nothing like Trinidad light
On Acadian Saturday night


(Chorus X2)

A Matter of Heart
Stan Rogers

We live in fear of no one to love us
Of feeling like an empty hole
With no kind heart or strengthening hand
To light the dark and secret soul.
Behind the walls of lonely protection
Afraid to give for what we may lose,
And to hide our sin, or let someone within,
Everyone will have to choose!

Chorus:
Put your life on the line,
Give your hand and pledge your time
To the love whose lips inflame you
Like some ancient and golden wine;
And to all it's a start in fulfilling greatest needs in part,
For in whatever we dream of what we some day want to be
It's a matter of heart.

We like to think we know what we're doing,
We always like to be in control.
The rational mind rules the passionate heart
Is what the ancient sages told.
But that can sound a little bit hollow,
When you're sitting by the fire alone!
And the rarest old wine tastes of ashes and brine,
When you've no one there to keep you warm.
Chorus:

The way in which our pride will stall us,
When we know we should be losing control,
Puts us in the fear of falling and we let it go!
Our careful words are self-deceiving,
Though we like to call them 'pretense' and 'art',
But every old line is held in the mind,
When it's really just a matter of heart.
Chorus X 2:

'Harris and the Mare' is a great one as well, Oldraven. Every song a story...

Eamon

I heard this one for the first time last night. What a powerful story.

Enjoy

Harris and the Mare
-Stan Rogers

Harris, my old friend, good to see your face again
More welcome, though, yon trap and that old mare
For the wife is in a swoon, and I am all alone
Harris, fetch thy mare and take us home

The wife and I came out for a quiet glass of stout
And a word or two with neighbors in the room
But young Clary, he came in, as drunk and wild as sin
And swore the wife would leave the place with him

But the wife as quick as thought said, "No, I'll bloody not"
Then struck the brute a blow about the head
He raised his ugly paw, and he lashed her on the jaw
And she fell onto the floor like she were dead

Now Harris, well you know, I've never struck an angry blow
Nor would I keep a friend who raised his hand
I was a conscie in the war, cryin' what the hell's this for?
But I had to see his blood to be a man

I grabbed him by his coat, spun him 'round and took his throat
And beat his head upon the parlor door
He dragged out an awful knife, and he roared "I'll have your life"
And he stuck me and I fell onto the floor

Now blood I was from neck to thigh, bloody murder in his eye
As he shouted out "I'll finish you for sure"
But as the knife came down, I lashed out from the ground
And the knife was in his breast and he rolled o'er

Now with the wife as cold as clay I carried her away
No hand was raised to help us through the door
And I've brought her half a mile, but I've had to rest a while
And none of them I'll call a friend no more

For when the knife came down, I was helpless on the ground
No neighbor stayed his hand, I was alone
By God, I was a man, but now I cannot stand
Please, Harris, fetch thy mare, take us home

Oh, Harris, fetch thy mare, and take us out of here
In my nine and fifty years I've never known
That to call myself a man, for my loved one I must stand
Now Harris, fetch thy mare take us home

Never heard or read of Stan Rogers before so I'm a bloody newbie here... don't find the right words to describe how much I enjoy it and how much I'm impressed. Just touching, wonderful!!!!

Would love to get more of it!!!

Gaberlunzie, you can request quite a few Stan Rogers songs from the 'request' section part of 'radio tools.' I was turned on to Stan by some local musicians that did a great version of 'Mary Ellen Carter.' I have been hooked ever since. Oldraven is our Stan expert. He has even been to 'Stanfest.' One of these years I have to get up there for that!

Enjoy the music.

Eamon

Eamon, thank you so much for the information!
I'm looking forward to listen to the songs and the music!

This is one of a lot of things I enjoy so much at celtic.radio - I came here because of my love for a special kind of music and I met a very nice folk and get to know a lot of new things - just great...

gaberlunzie

Definitely time to listen !

Thanks for the information and it's good to be back here again!

I'm in the process of putting together a new computer system since my last one gave up the ghost a while ago and I just got back to work recently .

So........off to listen I go !


Draconis

The Field Behind the Plow
-Stan Rogers

Watch the field behind the plow turn to straight, dark rows
Feel the trickle in your clothes, blow the dust cake from your nose
Hear the tractor's steady roar, Oh you can't stop now
There's a quarter section more or less to go

And it figures that the rain keeps its own sweet time
You can watch it come for miles, but you guess you've got a while
So ease the throttle out a hair, every rod's a gain
And there's victory in every quarter mile

Poor old Kuzyk down the road
The heartache, hail and hoppers brought him down
He gave it up and went to town

And Emmett Pierce the other day
Took a heart attack and died at forty two
You could see it coming on 'cause he worked as hard as you

In an hour, maybe more, you'll be wet clear through
The air is cooler now, pull you hat brim further down
And watch the field behind the plow turn to straight dark rows
Put another season's promise in the ground

And if the harvest's any good
The money just might cover all the loans
You've mortgaged all you own

Buy the kids a winter coat
Take the wife back east for Christmas if you can
All summer she hangs on when you're so tied to the land

For the good times come and go, but at least there's rain
So this won't be barren ground when September rolls around
So watch the field behind the plow turn to straight dark rows
Put another season's promise in the ground

Watch the field behind the plow turn to straight dark rows
Put another season's promise in the ground

the life of a Farmer. I really like it. How it brings forth the blessing and the curse. It's beautiful. Does Mr. Rogers have a published book???

Yes, if you consider music books.

Here.

IMPRESSIVE!!!!!!!!
Thanks OR, I learned something new today *hugs*