Reader’s warning: angst follows, but at least it is neither purposeless nor self-focused angst.
As the title would suggest, this is a shout-out to my fellow Book-Meme contributors, David and the Multifaceted Muses.
There has been some discussion among us, lately, on J.R.R. Tolkien’s Silmarillion, surrounding the role sorrow, grief and tragedy play in the book and its various related stories. Tolkien, we know, was no stranger to grief, pain or even the horrors of World War I. As a writer, he does not shy from tragedy, and yet there is a powerful, indestructible hope that runs through his work, as it seems to have run through his life. He understood a truth that someone like me, who has suffered very little in comparison, has no right to speak of: that from sorrow, strife and pain can come a rich harvest. As Gandalf observes, “not all tears are evil.”
On a seemingly unrelated note, the muses of the Egotist’s Club have produced some very intriguing answers two the second 2012 Book Meme question. Perhaps reading their posts opened a previously unexplored avenue of thought in me, because I usually do not match music with books.
This morning a song came up on my mp3 player and, as I listened, its relation to the Silmarillion hit me. I have never thought, nor am likely to think again, of Tolkien and Emmylou Harris at the same time. However, here are the lyrics for Harris’s song, The Pearl, for Urania, Thalia, Melpomene, Terpsichore, Calliope and David.
The Pearl, by Emmylou Harris
.
Oh the Dragons are gonna to fly tonight.
They’re circling low and in sight tonight.
It’s another round in the losing fight
Out along the great divide tonight.
.
We are aging soldiers in an ancient war
Seeking out some half-remembered shore.
We drink our fill and still we thirst for more,
Asking “if there’s no heaven what is this hunger for?”
.
Our path is worn our feet are poorly shod.
We lift up our prayer against the odds,
And fear the silence is the voice of God.
Of God, of God.
.
And we cry allelujah, allelujah,
We cry allelujah.
.
Sorrow is constant and the joys are brief.
The seasons come and bring no sweet relief.
Time is a brutal but a careless thief:
It takes our lot but leaves behind the grief.
.
It is the heart that kills us in the end,
Just one more old broken bone that cannot mend.
As it was, now, and ever shall be, amen.
Amen, amen.
.
And we cry allelujah, allelujah,
We cry allelujah.
.
So there’ll be no guiding light for you and me
We are not sailors lost out on the sea
We were always headed toward eternity
Hoping for a glimpse of Galilee.
.
Like falling stars from the universe we are hurled
Down through the long loneliness of the world
Until we, behold the pain, become the Pearl.
The Pearl. The Pearl.
.
Cryin´ allelujah allelujah
We cry allelujah!
And we cry allelujah allelujah
We cry allelujah!
We cry allelujah allelujah
We cry allelujah!
April 13th, 2012 at 4:24 pm
Oh, that is beautiful. I have not heard much of Emmylou, but I do think her voice and musical choices are suited to Middle Earth. And this particular one resonates not just of Tolkien, but of the The Pearl Poet, and the dream-search for God!
April 13th, 2012 at 9:37 pm
I think you guys should adopt the alternate name of the Multifaceted Muses. +)
April 14th, 2012 at 10:18 am
I’m glad somebody mentioned the Pearl Poet. I was thinking that, too.
April 14th, 2012 at 3:15 pm
Her music does not, in general, remind me of middle earth, but this one… somehow it struck the same emotional chord in me. I agree, The Pearl (song) seems to resonate with a greater truth that is echoed in other stories and songs, etc.
April 13th, 2012 at 9:42 pm
Thanks for sharing the song! I’d never heard it before, but I really like it, and it’s lyrics really do fit with The Silmarillion. Her voice and the music seem too American and modern to take me to Middle-Earth, but you’re definitely right about the lyrics, and even on its own the song is great.
April 14th, 2012 at 3:19 pm
That is why I surprised myself to be linking Harris to Tolkien. Her music does not conjure Middle Earth for me, and therefore I would not hold this up as a theme song for the Silmarillion. However, the striking parallels caught my imagination and I wanted to post on it.
Emmylou Harris has a knack for making me cry. Something about her voice and down-played yet powerful emotion she packs into her songs… hmm.
April 14th, 2012 at 5:52 pm
That.
April 14th, 2012 at 11:56 am
I’ve never listened to Emmylou Harris before, but I enjoyed this song. She has a nice, folksy rock sound. Thanks for sharing!
Speaking of more Silmarillion songs for y’all (I feel like living in Texas gives me the prerogative to use that word ;) ) :
World of Stone by Blackmore’s Night – Actually, this one applies to LotR
And also by Blackmore’s NightShadow of the Moon – This one makes me think of Beren and Luthien. It’s not a perfect match, but anyway.
Have you heard of Blackmore’s Night before? I think of them as renaissance faire flavored rock. And I *love* Ritchie Blackmore’s guitar playing, it’s beautiful.
And just to be a tad ridiculous, this song of a desperate fight against evil kind of makes me think of a story like Turin’s: Through the Fire and the Flames by Dragonforce.
And did you know that the metal band Blind Guardian has a whole album dedicated to the Silmarillion called “Nightfall in Middle Earth”? I have it, though metal really isn’t my thing, so I don’t listen to it often. But it’s a really cool idea nonetheless.
April 14th, 2012 at 11:59 am
Err, I meant to write that “World of Stone” *also* can apply to LotR as well as the Silmarillion.
April 14th, 2012 at 3:42 pm
She’s very versatile, and she has a ton of albums, some better than others. I particularly love her folk music and gospel, but the album Red Dirt Girl, that starts with The Pearl, is beautiful.
Y’all is a good word. :)
Oo… I think Blackmore’s Night may be my favorite musical introduction of this week!
You know… I can imagine that head-banging with that much hair, while playing guitar, must take a lot of practice.
April 14th, 2012 at 3:51 pm
Most likely!
BTW, my favorite Blackmore’s Night song is “Diamonds and Rust.” I almost want to write a story to go with it, but sometimes it’s more interesting to just leave the story hinted at, as the song does.
April 14th, 2012 at 3:58 pm
Does it have anything to do with the song by Joan Baez?
April 14th, 2012 at 10:25 pm
Yes, it is the same song. I’d never listened to the original before, even though I figured the Blackmore’s Night song was probably a cover. I see that the song is supposed to be about Bob Dylan, though? Err, now that’s not very romantic to my sensibilities. I’d write an urban fantasy to go with it. Haha, yup, I’m a lost cause. Anyway, after listening to Joan Baez, I still prefer the Blackmore’s Night version. Better guitar parts–at least, to my taste. And I think Ms. Night does more interesting things with the vocals; she puts more inflection and emotion into interpreting the lines.
April 15th, 2012 at 8:39 am
It’s one of those songs where I love the music, and as always, Joanie’s voice, but the gist of the song doesn’t move me as others of hers do. I would be curious to see if I would like the cover better. I downloaded an album of Blackmore’s Night from Itunes last night and really enjoyed it.
April 15th, 2012 at 9:52 am
Which album? I have Ghost of a Rose and Shadow of the Moon. I should buy some more one of these days.
April 15th, 2012 at 11:16 am
The village lanterne both because it has the song you posted and because I like the word lanterne. ^_^
April 14th, 2012 at 5:56 pm
I find it a pity I have such trouble decoding Harris’ accent, I am missing out…
April 14th, 2012 at 6:04 pm
I have some trouble with that too. For me, at least, it may not be the accent as much as the fact that she doesn’t enunciate clearly. Luckily, I can usually find lyrics to her songs online.
April 14th, 2012 at 6:22 pm
I’m glad it’s not *just* me/my foreigness, then. At least she’s famous enough for lyrics to be found, too – Augie March can get even more surreal when the singer mumbles, for instance.
Then there are bands who just set themselves up for this: http://youtu.be/1-0nagLIUaQ
April 14th, 2012 at 6:44 pm
Indeed not.
Hehehehe
As much as I like Nirvana, I find this song very amusing…
April 22nd, 2012 at 11:00 pm
Woah. Somebody with magical video editing powers needs to make an AMV with this song. Beautiful.
April 23rd, 2012 at 9:02 am
That would be pretty awesome!