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Sleeping Giant

from Palace of Tears by Ray Cooper

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about

This is a song about my Scottish roots. The mountains on Aran form the silhouette of a sleeping giant. I have been in Scotland every year of my life, although now it is often for a funeral.
There is a reference to a quote from Saladin's first biographer, Baha ad-Din ibn Shaddad writing in the 13th century. At the end of the book he said: 'Now all these years and their players have vanished, it is as if they never existed'.

lyrics

Sleeping Giant
(Ray Cooper)

I dreamed I saw a giant asleep upon the land
The brown hills of the Highlands he cradled in his hands
And I dreamed the giant had a smile upon his face
For all the loves he thought he'd lost had never gone to waste

No, they all came back to forgive him
And to his great surprise
They understood his passions
From the fire in his eyes

He left his giant footprints all over their white sand
But they forgave his foolish ways and all that he had done
When he loved he loved them truly and never meant to part
And when he cried, he cried a river, with all his giant heart

Now all these years and their players have passed away
Like so many dreams of the hills of our childhood days

He turned to face the morning, that way his journey lies
He reached for the horizon, where the sun would rise
And I dreamed the giant was never more to wake
His lover was the sky now, she'd help him on his way

And I watched until the dawn came
And I saw him melt away
Till all that's left was the outline
Of the hills of our childhood days

And we'll drink a glass to friendship and to home
We used to say wha's like us, damn few, and they're all gone

Now all these years and their players have passed away
Like so many dreams of the hills of our childhood days

credits

from Palace of Tears, released August 29, 2014

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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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