Samhain - Banking the Fire

The sound samples are from the most representative section of a track. The times listed are the total track time, not the length of the sample! The samples range from one to two minutes in length.

Open the Door [3:50]
Traditional

During this season the door between the worlds is open. Messages from the ancestors and inspiration are received through mindful listening.

Julia Lane - vocal
Fred Gosbee - flutes

  Open the door softly, I've something to tell you, dear.
  Open it up no wider than the crack upon the floor.
  Open the door softly. I've something to tell you, dear.

Warm summer grasses have whispered it in your ear
Skeins of shining water ask you patiently for to hear
Tall, lonely timber have taught it to the deer

  Open the door softly, I've something to tell you, dear.
  Open it up no wider than the crack upon the floor.
  Open the door softly. I've something to tell you, dear.

Sad winds in autumn will tell you as they pass by
Wild geese flying eastward leave their music in the sky
Listen at evening and answer the wild birds' cry

  Open the door softly, I've something to tell you, dear.
  Open it up no wider than the crack upon the floor.
  Open the door softly. I've something to tell you, dear.

The Calliach's Song [4:22]
Lyric © 2014 Fred Gosbee Melody is Albanian

The Calliach (cahl-yahk) or Old Woman is the guardian of Samhain. Her wisdom, gained by years of experience, demands our respect and attention.

Fred Gosbee - lead vocal, 12-string guitar, bass, tamborine
Guest musicians Festim Fanaj - violin, Florin Fanaj - classic guitar We met these two wonderful musicians when we performed at the American University in Pristina, Kosovo, in 2010. Through the magic of the internet we were able to have them on this recording

When the year is getting older and the sun begins to pale
On the last day of October Calliach will lift the veil.
Then the ghosts of our ancestors; spirits of those gone before
Sometimes call across the chasm; see us through the opening door

Samhain fires light up the night, help us keep the dark away
Calliach's eyes are burning bright, brighter than the bonfire flame

Now's the time to ask your questions; find out what the future holds
While the sprits walk among us many things might be foretold.
Will this be the year I marry? What might be my lover's name?
Many are the divinations in the guise of Samhain games.

Samhain fires light up the night, help us keep the dark away
Calliach's eyes are burning bright, brighter than the bonfire flame

Soulcake may appease the spirits and the shadows of the dead
But your mask cannot protect you from a truth you've come to dread
Calliach just holds the mirror; shows things you don't want to know
What you see you have brought with you. Only you can let it go.

Samhain fires light up the night, help us keep the dark away
Calliach's eyes are burning bright, brighter than the bonfire flame

Welcome now the gift of darkness as the failing sun goes down.
In the quiet nights of winter there is wisdom to be found.
Calliach has stirred the cauldron. Calliach is old and wise.
Listen for her ancient music underneath the winter skies.

Samhain fires light up the night, help us keep the dark away
Calliach's eyes are burning bright, brighter than the bonfire flame

The Abbots Bromley Horn Dance [2:10]
Traditional

Fred Gosbee - Irish flute
Julia Lane - Celtic harp

This haunting tune accompanies an ancient dance ritual which represents the competition of stags during the autumn rutting season. The image created by the dancers is reminiscent of prehistoric cave paintings. The antler headpieces used in Abbots Bromley, England, are over 600 years old.

Soulin [3:28]
Traditional

Julia Lane - vocals and Celtic harp
Fred Gosbee - vocals, 12-string guitar

The practice of going door to door for treats in exchange for a song or blessing was called "Souling". Spirits wandering abroad during Samhain could be appeased with soul-cakes. This version is from Cheshire and is paired with a 17th century round.

Hey, ho, nobody home
Meat nor drink nor money havie I none
Yet shall we be merry.
Hey ho nobody home

  A soul, a soul, a soul cake
  Please, good missus a soul cake
  An apple, a pear, a plum, a cherry
  Any good thing to make us merry
  One for Peter, one for Paul
  Three for him who made us all

God bless the master of this house and bless the mistress also
And all the little children that round your table grow
The horses in your stable and dog before your door
And all that dwell within your gates, we wish you ten times more

  A soul, a soul, a soul cake
  Please, good missus a soul cake
  An apple, a pear, a plum, a cherry
  Any good thing to make us merry
  One for Peter, one for Paul
  Three for him who made us all

Go down into your cellar and see what you can find
And if you can find something we hope you will be kind
We hope you will be kind with your apples and strong beer
For we won't come a-souling 'till this time next year

  A soul, a soul, a soul cake
  Please, good missus a soul cake
  An apple, a pear, a plum, a cherry
  Any good thing to make us merry
  One for Peter, one for Paul
  Three for him who made us all

The streets are very dirty, my shoes are very thin
I have a little pocket to put a penny in
If you haven't got a penny a ha'penny will do
If you haven't got a ha'penny then God bless you

  A soul, a soul, a soul cake
  Please, good missus a soul cake
  An apple, a pear, a plum, a cherry
  Any good thing to make us merry
  One for Peter, one for Paul
  Three for him who made us all

The Wife of Usher's Well [3:27]
Traditional

Fred Gosbee - vocals, 12-string guitar, Nashville goitar, bass
Julia Lane - vocals

During the time of open doors, spirits could visit their loved ones and expected to be made welcome, yet they could not eat mortal food and must return to the land of the dead before dawn. If the host continued to mourn, they would be admonished for keeping the spirit from rest.

There was a knight and a lady bright. Three little babes had she
She sent them away to the North country for to learn their grammarye

They hadn't been gone but a very short time. 'Bout three months and a day
When Death, cruel Death, came riding along and carried those babes away

And when she heard her babes were dead she did mourne. She did weep.
'Till they came to her one dark midnight crying, "Mother, we cannot sleep"

She set the table. She gave them wine, gave them bread, gave them meat
But they were not able to touch a bite. :We are dead and cannot eat."

"Mother, oh Mother, we cannot stay. We must go ere break of dawn
Your weeping keeps us from our rest in our graves where we belong."

All Soul's Night [3:25]
Poem by Irish poet Dora Sigerson (1866-1918)
Melody Lament for Ovew Roe is traditional Irish

Julia lane - recitation
Fred Gosbee - whistle

Sometimes the desire to see again a departed loved one is not strong enough to overcome fear.

O mother, mother, I swept the hearth, I set his chair
and the white board spread,
I prayed for his coming to our kind Lady when Death's
doors would let out the dead;
A strange wind rattled the window-pane, and down the
lane a dog howled on,
I called his name and the candle flame burnt dim, pressed
a hand the door-latch upon.
Deelish! Deelish! my woe forever that I could not sever
coward flesh from fear.
I called his name and the pale ghost came; but I was
afraid to meet my dear.

O mother, mother, in tears I checked the sad hours past
of the year that's o'er,
Till by God's grace I might see his face and hear the
sound of his voice once more;
The chair I set from the cold and wet, he took when he
came from unknown skies
Of the land of the dead, on my bent brown head I felt
the reproach of his saddened eyes;
I closed my lids on my heart's desire, crouched by the fire,
my voice was dumb.
At my clean-swept hearth he had no mirth, and at my
table he broke no crumb.
Deelish! Deelish! my woe forever that I could not sever
coward flesh from fear.
His chair put aside when the young cock cried, and I
was afraid to meet my dear.

Lament for Owen Roe [2:26]
Turloch O'Carolan (1670-1738)

Julia Lane - Celtic harp
Fred Gosbee - whistles and flutes

Two laments are known to have been made for the Irish hero, Owen Roe (Eoghan Rua) O'Neil. The first accompanies the previous poem. Here is the second, composed by 18th century Irish harper Turlough O' Carolan.

Our intent is for these two track to be heard as one piece.

Ettrick [3:28]
Lyrics by Lady John Scott (1810-1900) music © Archie Fisher

Julia Lane - vocal, Celtic harp
Fred Gosbee - cello
Doreen Conboy - lead cello

Scottish Borders poet and composer Lady John Scott (Alicia Spotiswoode experienced a great deal of personal tragedy. The death of her beloved husband in the winter of 1859 inspired this song.

When we first rade down Ettrick,
Our bridles were ringing, our hearts were dancing,
The waters were singing, the sun was glancing,
An' blithely our hearts rang out thegither,
As we brushed the dew frae the blooming heather,
When we first rade down Ettrick.

When we next rade down Ettrick,
The day was dying, the wild birds calling,
The wind was sighing, the leaves were falling,
An' silent an’ weary, but closer thegither,
We urged our steeds thro’ the faded heather,
When we next rade down Ettrick.

When I last rade down Ettrick,
The winds were shifting, the storm was waking,
The snow was drifting, my heart was breaking,
For we never again were to ride thegither,
In sun or storm on the mountain heather,
When I last rade down Ettrick.

The Crow in the Sun [3:58]
© 2007 Daithi Sproule

Fred Gosbee - viola
Julia Lane - Celtic harp

The Raven in the Apple Tree [3:59]
©1997 Jud Caswell

Julia Lane - vocal, Celtic harp
Fred Gosbee - strings

Ravens were believed to travel between the worlds carrying messages. They also signify transformation, sometimes in the form of death. A cemetery, an apple tree (a symbol of immortality) and a raven with a message from the ancestors penned by a fine Maine songwriter.

The raven in the apple tree is watching
His voice is like the rattle
of a rusty iron gate
Swinging on its hinges in the wind
Beckoning and welcoming us in

You and I have come from far away
Drawn by quiet murmurings
too steady to ignore
A siren song singing in our bones
Calls us to this place we've never known

  You find a thing you somehow know you've
  always missed
  And then you feel so lost
  Ask the raven how it comes to this
  The raven says because, because, because
  The raven says because, because, because

The wind across the millpond so familiar
As surely as the tolling
of the Baptist chapel bell
Ringing off of cedar tree and stone
Echoes of our history and home

Our little girl runs down the lanes
She skips among the rows and rows and rows
of family names

Apples on the ground beneath the raven
Windfalls of a passing storm
returning to the earth
Gathered on the roots where they were made
In the shadow of their cradle they make their grave

Waiting for the Snow [3:46]
© 1987 Fred Gosbee

Fred Gosbee - vocal, 12-string guitar, bass, cello, dobro
Julia Lane - vocal, bowed psaltry

Coming to terms with grief and loss of any kind takes time and solitude.
N.B. To bank the fire means to cover the wood with ashes and perhaps close the draft so that the fire will last through the night.

October's gone; November's here and the trees are standing bare
Their ragged robes of red and gold have blown away somewhere
The crops are in, the wood is split, you have no place to go
So bank your fire, settle in and wait for the snow

That same cold wind that stole the leaves now prowls around your door.
Creeps unasked into your house and reminds you what's in store
For he tells you of the days ahead - but you don't want to know
So bank your fire, settle in and wait for the snow

You've heard that old north wind before when another shared your bed.
And held you warm from dark 'till dawn from the lonliness you dread
Well, this time no one goes with you. This time you want it so
So bank your fire, settle in and wait for the snow.

7nbsp;Well you know that winter's on the way. You can see it in the moon,
Cold and pale as the comet's tale; the sun goes down to soon
And Orion's hunting 'cross the sky with his starry belt
And you know that he won't go 'till the snow begins to melt.

Another year is over. Turn another page.
That old north wind around your head, well, it makes you feel your age.
You're alone but not so lonely as you were a while ago
So bank your fire, settle in and wait for the snow
You're alone but not so lonely as you were a while ago
So bank your fire, settle in and wait for the snow

Autumn [0:54] Poem by William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878)

A Cold Frosty Morning [2:37]
Traditional

Julia Lane- Celtic harp
Fred Gosbee - Irish flute

Julia Lane - vocal, Celtic harp
Fred Gosbee - violas

Nature can reassure us as we observe and accept the endless cycling of seasons

Across the northern sky, all the birds are leaving
But how can they know it's time for them to go?
Before the winter fire, I will still be dreaming
I have no thought of time

For who knows where the time goes?
Who knows where the time goes?

Sad, deserted shore, your fickle friends are leaving
Ah, but then you know it's time for them to go
But I will still be here, I have no thought of leaving
I do not count the time

For who knows where the time goes?
Who knows where the time goes?

And I am not alone while my love is near me
I know it will be so until it's time to go
So come the storms of winter and then the birds in spring again
I do not fear the time

Who knows where the time goes?
Who knows where the time goes?

Fredg Gosbee - vocal, 12-string guitarbr> Julia Lane - vocal, Celtic harp

Realizing that we are part of the natural movement through cold and darkness towards light and warmth gets us through both actual winter and the difficult times in our lives. Made by a masterful Maine songcrafter.

When the deer has bedded down
And the bear has gone to ground
And the northern goose has wandered off
To warmer bay and sound
It's so easy in the cold
To feel the darkness of the year
And the heart is growing lonely for the morning

Oh my Joanie, don't you know
That the stars are swinging slow
And the seas are rolling easy
As they did so long ago
And if I had a thing to give you
I would tell you one more time
That the world id always turning toward the morning

When October's growin' thin
And November's comin' home
You'll be thinking of the seasons
And the sad things that you've seen
And you hear that old wind walkin'
Hear him singin' high and thin
You could swear he's out there singin' of your sorrow

When the darkness falls around you
And you hear that cold wind blow
And you hear him call your name out
As he walks the bitter snow
That old wind don't mean you trouble.
He don't care or even know
He's just walking down the darkness toward the morning

October Winds [3:34]
Lyrics by Sir Harold Boulton (1859-1935) Tune is traditional Irish

Julia Lane - vocal, Celtic harp
Fred Gosbee - 12-string guitar, vocal, violin

This lullaby depicts harshness of confinement in a cold stone castle through the winter softened by the presence and promise of a small child; the "rose of hope in the garden of Dromore"

The October winds lament around the castle of Drumore
Yet peace lies in her lofty halls, my loving treasure store
Though autumn leaves may droop and die, a bud of spring are you
Sing hushabye loo, low loo, low lan
Hushabye loo, low loo

Bring no ill wind to hinder, my helpless babe and me
Dread spirits of black water banks, clan Owens wild banshee,
And Holy Mary pitying us to Heaven for grace doth sue

Sing hushabye loo, low loo, low lan
Hushabye loo, low loo

Take time to thrive, my ray of hope, in the garden of Dromore
Take heed, young eaglet, till thy wings are feathered fit to soar
A little rest and then the world is full of work to do
Sing hushabye loo, low loo, low lan
Hushabye loo, low loo

Blessing/Going Home [4:37]
Traditional

Julia Lane - recitation, Celtic harp
Fred Gosbee - violin

Here is a translation of a Gaelic death dirge from the Carmina Gaedelica, a collection of sacred verses from the highlands and islands of 19th century Scotland collected by Alexander Carmichael in the 19th century, paired with a traditional air.

Samhain - Banking the Fire 2017