Get Flash to see this player.
Description
North of the Humber Song 10 of 10
The final song of this album concerns a place of ancient holiness well inland in the Cheviot Mountains, near to the town of Wooller, where the royal Anglo-Saxon settlement of Gefrin was established on a site of that goes back at least to Neolithic times. St Paulinus, according to the Venerable Bede writing in the seventh century, converted many of the heathen to Christianity there, and baptised them in the river Glen which still runs close by the site.
The picture is of a carved stone from prehistoric times discovered near to this place, and superimposed on it is the famous rose window in Durham Cathedral.
For me, they have striking similarities on a basic level. They both represent reality as a multi-layered, circular model in which large superficial spaces give way to hidden inner divisions, and then further still, to a small, central place.
In both images, too, straight lines go from the outermost to the innermost layers, as if to say that it is possible to travel directly to the centre, if one can find the way.
For those who have enjoyed the songs from this album, you might like to know that i will be making a few homemade CDs with artwork and info booklet included in the near future for family and friends who still like their music in that format. It is probable i will have one or two left over, and i would like to offer them free of charge if there is an interest from any one on this site. Please let me have a mailing address and i will gladly send a copy when they become available.
Thanks for listening!
Marc
The final song of this album concerns a place of ancient holiness well inland in the Cheviot Mountains, near to the town of Wooller, where the royal Anglo-Saxon settlement of Gefrin was established on a site of that goes back at least to Neolithic times. St Paulinus, according to the Venerable Bede writing in the seventh century, converted many of the heathen to Christianity there, and baptised them in the river Glen which still runs close by the site.
The picture is of a carved stone from prehistoric times discovered near to this place, and superimposed on it is the famous rose window in Durham Cathedral.
For me, they have striking similarities on a basic level. They both represent reality as a multi-layered, circular model in which large superficial spaces give way to hidden inner divisions, and then further still, to a small, central place.
In both images, too, straight lines go from the outermost to the innermost layers, as if to say that it is possible to travel directly to the centre, if one can find the way.
For those who have enjoyed the songs from this album, you might like to know that i will be making a few homemade CDs with artwork and info booklet included in the near future for family and friends who still like their music in that format. It is probable i will have one or two left over, and i would like to offer them free of charge if there is an interest from any one on this site. Please let me have a mailing address and i will gladly send a copy when they become available.
Thanks for listening!
Marc
Leave a Comment
You must be registered and logged-in to comment.
Lyrics
Yeavering Bell
Take the road west from Seahouses harbour,
Across the north road and keep on,
To the old town of Wooler and rising ground,
Where the old people died and are gone.
Where the mountains look down,
On the old holy ground,
Like before,
Like then,
In the days before men,
When the great winter lay all around,
Oh the past speaks so loud as you
Come to the hills, alone in the silence,
At Gefrin, by Yeavering Bell,
And think of their gods, and humbly recall,
The Goddess that came before all,
Where the mountains look down,
On the old holy ground,
Like before,
Like then,
By the cold river Glen,
When the feasting and singing rang round,
Stand in the field, though nothing is there now,
Of the Royal halls standing so proud,
Nor does the river remember the day,
When the sins of the tribe washed away.
Where the mountains look down,
On the old holy ground,
Like before,
Like then,
When Paulinus went,
And spoke to the tribes gathered round,
Oh, fine were the words that he,
Said on that day, and still we can hear them,
The book and the cross still resound,
The rings within rings, carved in stone long ago,
Still speak of the truth that we know,
Where the mountains look down,
On the old holy ground,
Like before,
Like now,
It’s wonderful how,
The world is with mystery crowned,
The world is with mystery crowned.
Take the road west from Seahouses harbour,
Across the north road and keep on,
To the old town of Wooler and rising ground,
Where the old people died and are gone.
Where the mountains look down,
On the old holy ground,
Like before,
Like then,
In the days before men,
When the great winter lay all around,
Oh the past speaks so loud as you
Come to the hills, alone in the silence,
At Gefrin, by Yeavering Bell,
And think of their gods, and humbly recall,
The Goddess that came before all,
Where the mountains look down,
On the old holy ground,
Like before,
Like then,
By the cold river Glen,
When the feasting and singing rang round,
Stand in the field, though nothing is there now,
Of the Royal halls standing so proud,
Nor does the river remember the day,
When the sins of the tribe washed away.
Where the mountains look down,
On the old holy ground,
Like before,
Like then,
When Paulinus went,
And spoke to the tribes gathered round,
Oh, fine were the words that he,
Said on that day, and still we can hear them,
The book and the cross still resound,
The rings within rings, carved in stone long ago,
Still speak of the truth that we know,
Where the mountains look down,
On the old holy ground,
Like before,
Like now,
It’s wonderful how,
The world is with mystery crowned,
The world is with mystery crowned.
magnatone
Hi Marc - oh this song just goes straight to my heart! your voice just sounds wonderful, and this sparse, beautiful orchestration behind your excellent guitar is perfect. what a gift - thank you!