1. |
The Puritan
04:51
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The Puritan
I filled my saddlebags with corn
And bid my home goodbye
I set out for the west
With the flaming sun in my eyes
A sword and a bible by my side
I joined a regiment of horse
And with them I did go
We roared up hills and over dales
As we hunted down our frightened foe
And the Lord have mercy on their souls
I've seen castles torn down
Villages alight and cattle burn
I've listened to the tolling of the gun
And the clash of steel as morning comes
And the Lord's seen all that I have done
They gave me a house in lieu of pay
With fine grazing land
A river of silver running through
It was a paradise that I had found
And the Lord led me to this chosen ground
But when I hear the crying of a child
I still hear the rattle of the drum
And see the shadows hanging in the trees
And a smell of burning follows me
And the Lord's seen all that I have done.
But Jesus was always on our side
A sword of righteousness hung in the sky
We sang a hymn to make the cowards turn
And then we cut them down as they did run
And the Lords' seen all that I have done.
Words Ray Cooper
Music Ray Cooper/traditional, based on an old Swedish hymn
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2. |
The Dark Days Are Over
04:35
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The Dark Days Are Over
Deep pools and diamonds, the warmth of a fire
I feel I’m falling but I follow the wire
To something familiar like the voice of a child
The shape of your mouth, the ghost of a smile
Dark is the window but I see inside
Deep is the mirror that sparkles and shines
And all of the jewels, you thought you could hide
Now the dark days are over
Darling believe me they're over
Leave them behind
We've wandered so long in the shadows of night
Believe me, the dark days are gone
She said ‘Show me you steel, your armour your knife
Show me your will to protect and survive
When nothing is certain, except in the mind
Show me you have what it takes for this life’
I said I will have faith, and I will be true
Catching at pearls as they fall with the dew
And all that I have I offer to you
The dark days are over
Darling believe me they're over
Leave them behind
We've wandered so long in the valleys of night
Believe me, the dark days are gone
Words and music Ray Cooper
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3. |
Border Widow’s Lament
04:19
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The Border Widows Lament
My love he built me a bonny bower
He covered it over with the lily flower
A bonnier bower you never did see
That my true love he builded me
There came a man in the middle of day
Who spied his sport then he went away
He brought the king that very night
Who broke my bower and slew my night
He slew my knight to me so dear
He slew my knight and seized his gear
My servants all for life did flee
And they left me in extremity
I sewed his shroud making my moan
I watched his corpse myself alone
I watched his corpse both night and day
No living creature came that way
I bore his body on my back
And whiles I walked and whiles I sat
I digged a grave to lay him in
And I heaped him with the turf so green
And don't you think my heart was sore
As I lay the earth on his yellow hair
Oh don't you think my that heart was woe
As I turned around away to go?
No living man I'll love again
Since that my lovely knight was slain
With just one lock of his yellow hair
I'll chain my heart for evermore
Traditional, arranged Ray Cooper
A Scottish border ballad from the lawless times of the 16th century.
The soldiers come in the middle of the night and leave a man hanging from his own front gate. Everyone flees, and the widow is left alone to bury the body.
This image always reminds me of the wars in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990's.
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4. |
Mc Pherson’s Rant
05:16
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Mc Pherson's Rant
Farewell ye life ye sunshine bright
Ye dungeons dark and strang
Mc Pherson's time will not be long
Below these gallows I'll hang
Some of you came to see me die
And some to buy my fiddle
But before that I do part from here
I'll break her down the middle
Then he took his fiddle in both hands
And he smashed her over a stone
He said there's not another man than me
Will play thee when I'm gone
Rantingly, so rantingly, so wantonly went he
He played a tune then he danced aroon'
Below the gallows tree
Untie these bands from off my hands
And give to me my sword
For there's not a man in all Scotland
But I'll brave him at his word
The reprieve was coming o'er the brig of Banff
For to set Mc Pherson free
When they put the clock a quarter before
And hanged him to the tree
Rantingly, so rantingly, so wantonly went he
He played a tune then he danced aroon'
Below the gallows tree
Farewell ye life ye sunshine bright
And all beneath the skies
For in this place I'm ready to
Mc Pherson's time to die.
Rantingly, so rantingly, so wantonly went he
He played a tune then he danced aroon'
Below the gallows tree.
Traditional, arranged Ray Cooper
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5. |
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I Kiss The Night
I kiss the night so dark and warm
I breath, and watch and wait for dawn
The doors are locked, the fires low
I feel you close beside me now
The northern stars are so clear tonight
All my life I've never seen them burn so bright
The planets turn across the sky
I breath and watch and wait for day
A little spark, the ember glows
We'll feed that flame until it grows
A burning sun so far away
Is coming closer every day
Trust me now it'll be alright
Now we're here we'll never need to fear the night
A shooting star will guide the way
I breath and watch and wait for day
A tiny seed so dark and warm
Is waiting softly for the dawn
The arms are crossed the eyes are closed
The leaves are waiting to unfold
And now the dawn brings a little light
Still an hour or two before the sun will rise
The coming storm can wait awhile
So dream, and wait for day
Words Ray Cooper
Music Ray Cooper/traditional / Jämtland Bridal March traditional
The song was inspired by the Swedish bridal march played so beautifully by Patrik Andersson, that starts and ends the song.
Sometimes I don't sleep at night, but that's OK.
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6. |
The Grey Goose Wing
05:36
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The Grey Goose Wing
Neck stroke! Sir Thomas cried and threw his baton high
We drew our bows and loosed a cloud that stained the autumn sky
We had no choice to fight that day outnumbered three to one
We’d marched too far into their land and couldn't run
We put our trust in shafts of ash, fletched with the grey goose wing
We formed a line and turned to face, whatever fate could fling.
They bowed their heads they cursed and prayed as the cloud with goose wings flew
The maddened host attacked us then just as we wished them to.
Next day the field was black with crows that fed on dead men's eyes
No Christian could see such sights and not be moved to cry
And now we’re back on London bridge and all the choirs sing
We throw our bonnets in the air and say
‘It’s all for the whistling of the grey goose wing!’
A thousand maidens dressed in white threw leaves of laurel green
They praise us not for bringing peace but bringing victory
These people love a foreign war, that’s far away from home
Till they get sick of losing sons and hope that one day peace, will come.
When good King Henry came to town he rode a small grey mare
So humbly to compare himself to our sweet saviour
And through the crowds he bowed his head in all humility
But he took the credit anyway for our great victory
And when we got to London wall and heard the tumult roar
By God they made more noise than all the host on that field of Agincourt
And I’ll see you in the Bag-O-Nails and in our cups we’ll tell our tales
To every wide eyed barfly in the room
We’ll give 'em what they want to hear as long as they bring wine and beer
We'll tell 'em why the bells of London ring
It's all for the whistling of the grey goose wing!
They threw laurel leaves
Green laurel leaves
Not for peace but for the victory
Laurel leaves
Sweet laurel leaves
Sweet victory.
Words Ray Cooper
Music Ray Cooper/traditional, incorporating elements of the original anonymous Agincourt carol.
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7. |
In Your Sweet Arms
03:59
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In Your Sweet Arms
In this old broken world full of old broken love
Hear me darling, hear me dear
For long I did remember the touch of your hands
As I lay in your sweet arms that night
Hear me darling, hear me dear
For long I did remember the touch of your hands
As I lay in your sweet arms that night
It's not a perfect world and I'm not a perfect man
Hear me darling, hear me dear
You know that I will love you the best that I can
If you take me in your sweet arms again
And though the rain may beat upon your door
And the storm blow round your cabin walls
I'll find a place that's mine by your own fireside
And sleep in your sweet arms again
Hear me darling, hear me dear
For long I did remember the touch of your hands
As I lay in your sweet arms that night
I've travelled many roads and I've sailed the seven seas
Hear me darling, hear me dear
The wonders of the world don't mean so much to me
As sleeping in your sweet arms again
And though the rain may beat upon your door
And the storm blow round your cabin walls
I'll find a place that's mine by your own fireside
And sleep in your sweet arms again.
Words Ray Cooper Music Ray Cooper/Alan Prosser
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8. |
The Highwayman
03:38
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The Highwayman
I was a highwayman
On the coach roads I did ride
A sword and pistol by my side
Many a fair maid lost her baubles to my trade
Many a soldier shed his life blood on my blade
The bastards hung me in the spring of '25
But I'm still alive
I was a sailor
I was born upon the tide
And on 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'm living still
I was a dam builder
Across the river deep and wide
Where steel and water did collide
In 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'm still around
I'll always be 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
Maybe I will become a highwayman again
Perhaps I'll simply be a single drop of rain
But I will remain
And I'll be back again, and again, and again.
Words and music Jimmy Webb
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9. |
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My Compass Points To North
I cross the snow and ice again
Leaving day and night behind
No horizon, land or sky
And everywhere you look is white
That's when you know you are alone
Seven miles of ice below
And no tracks to take you home
I'm holding to the course
My compass points to north
The perfect circle of the sun
Never sets but travels round and round
And here the silence is my friend
Here the daylight never ends
And still my compass shows the way
Glowing green amidst the grey
The needle shivers in my hand
Pointing through the frozen land
Words and music Ray Cooper
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10. |
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Ye Jacobites By Name
Ye Jacobites by name lend an ear lend an ear
Ye Jacobites by name lend an ear
Ye Jacobites by name your faults I will proclaim
And your doctrines I must blame as ye shall hear ye shall hear
Your doctrines I must blame as ye shall hear
What's right and what is wrong by the law by the law
What's right and what is wrong by the law
What's right and what is wrong a short sword or a long
A weak arm or a strong
For to draw for to draw
A weak arm or a strong for to draw
What makes heroic strife famed afar famed afar
What makes heroic strife famed afar
What makes heroic strife to whet the assassin's knife
And haunt a parent's life with bloody war bloody war
And haunt a parent's life with bloody war
So leave your schemes alone in this state in this state
Aye leave your schemes alone in this state
Leave your schemes alone adore the rising sun
And leave a man alone to his fate to his fate
Aye leave a man alone to his fate.
Words Robert Burns
Music traditional arranged Ray Cooper
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Ray Cooper UK
Ray Cooper is a singer/songwriter and multi instrumentalist currently residing in the depths of Sweden where he moved in
2000. He left Oysterband in 2013 after a year in which they picked up 3 BBC2 Folk Awards and appeared live on the "Later..with Jools Holland' show. Since then he has carved out a successful solo career.
Photo by Kerstin Maier
... more
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