The strum and Khaza-dum gives me chills! Your music makes the poems come alive

finally getting around to polishing and cleaning up some of the older tolkien songs!

melody is my own, the text is from Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. 

Treebeard’s Song - The Two Towers, J. R. R. Tolkien

In the willow-meads of Tasarinan I walked in the Spring.
Ah! the sight and the smell of the spring in Nan-tasarion!
And I said that was good.
I wandered in the Summer in the elm-woods of Ossiriand.
Ah! the light and the music in the summer of the Seven rivers of Ossir!
And I thought that was best.
To the beeches of Neldoreth I came in the Autumn,
Ah! the gold and the red and the sighing leaves in the
Autumn in Taur-na-neldor!
It was more than my desire.
To the pine-trees upon the highland of Dorthonion I climbed in the Winter.
Ah! the wind and the whiteness and the black branches of
winter upon Orod-na-Thá»n!
My voice went up and sang in the sky.
And now all those lands lie under the wave,
And I walk in Ambaróna, in Tauremorna, in Aldalómá«,
In my own land, in the country of Fangorn,
where the roots are long, 
And the years lie thicker than the leaves
In Tauremornalómá

In The Willow Meads Of Tasarinan

It's been a little while since I posted a new Tolkien song, but here's a new short one, after a couple of people have requested it!

As always with these, it's written and performed by me, but the lyrics are from J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings (The Fellowship of the Ring)

Also, some exciting news- you can download this one and several others from my bandcamp page for free! Here's the link: https://adelemcallister.bandcamp.com/album/roads-go-ever-ever-on-songs-from-tolkiens-lord-of-the-rings

Hope you enjoy and thank you for listening!

Gil-galad was an Elven-king.
Of him the harpers sadly sing;
the last whose realm was fair and free
between the Mountains and the Sea.

His sword was long, his lance was keen.
His shining helm afar was seen;
the countless stars of heaven's field
were mirrored in his silver shield.

But long ago he rode away,
and where he dwelleth none can say;
for into darkness fell his star
in Mordor where the shadows are.

Gil-Galad Was An Elven King

Been awhile since I posted last though I have been writing a ton. Here's a small Tolkien piece in the meantime! 

Words are from J. R. R. Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring, music is my own. Thanks so much for listening!

O! Wanderers in the shadowed land 
despair not! For though dark they stand, 
all woods there be must end at last, 
and see the open sun go past: 
the setting sun, the rising sun,
the day's end, or the day begun. 
For east or west all woods must fail...

Old Forest Song

My own music set to text from J. R. R. Tolkien's poem from The Fellowship of the Ring. Disclaimer: I do not own the text; this is a fanwork done purely for the love of the source. Thanks for listening!

As the fellowship travel through Lothlorien, Legolas sings this song:

An Elven-maid there was of old,
A shining star by day:
Her mantle white was hemmed with gold,
Her shoes of silver-grey.

A star was bound upon her brows,
A light was on her hair
As sun upon the golden boughs
In Lórien the fair.

Her hair was long, her limbs were white,
And fair she was and free;
And in the wind she went as light
As leaf of linden-tree.

Beside the falls of Nimrodel,
By water clear and cool,
Her voice as falling silver fell
Into the shining pool.

Where now she wanders none can tell,
In sunlight or in shade;
For lost of yore was Nimrodel
And in the mountains strayed.

The elven-ship in haven grey
Beneath the mountain-lee
Awaited her for many a day
Beside the roaring sea.

A wind by night in Northern lands
Arose, and loud it cried,
And drove the ship from elven-strands
Across the streaming tide.

When dawn came dim the land was lost,
The mountains sinking grey
Beyond the heaving waves that tossed
Their plumes of blinding spray.

Amroth beheld the fading shore
Now low beyond the swell,
And cursed the faithless ship that bore
Him far from Nimrodel.

Of old he was an Elven-king,
A lord of tree and glen,
When golden were the boughs in spring
In fair Lothlórien.

From helm to sea they saw him leap,
As arrow from the string,
And dive into the water deep,
As mew upon the wing.

The wind was in his flowing hair,
The foam about him shone;
Afar they saw him strong and fair
Go riding like a swan.

But from the West has come no word,
And on the Hither Shore
No tidings Elven-folk have heard
Of Amroth evermore.

07/31/12

The Lay of Nimrodel

My own music set to text from J. R. R. Tolkien's poem from The Return of the King. Disclaimer: I do not own the text; this is a fanwork done purely for the love of the source. Thanks for listening!

Samwise sings this in Mordor as he rescues Frodo from the orcs in Cirith Ungol.

In western lands beneath the Sun
  the flowers may rise in Spring,
the trees may bud, the waters run,
  the merry finches sing.
Or there maybe 'tis cloudless night
  and swaying beeches bear
the Elven-stars as jewels white
  amid their branching hair.

Though here at journey's end I lie
  in darkness buried deep,
beyond all towers strong and high,
  beyond all mountains steep,
above all shadows rides the Sun
  and Stars forever dwell:
I will not say the Day is done,
  nor bid the Stars farewell.  

07/31/12

In Western lands beneath the sun

My own music set to text from J. R. R. Tolkien's poem from The Fellowship of the Ring. Disclaimer: I do not own the text; this is a fanwork done purely for the love of the source. Thanks for listening!

Gimli sings this song as the fellowship traveled through Moria. The background vocals double each other in different octaves- hope it gives it a sort of echoey cavernous feel... 

The world was young, the mountains green, 
No stain yet on the Moon was seen, 
No words were laid on stream or stone, 
When Durin woke and walked alone. 
He named the nameless hills and dells; 
He drank from yet untasted wells; 
He stooped and looked in Mirrormere, 
And saw a crown of stars appear, 
As gems upon a silver thread, 
Above the shadow of his head.

The world was fair, the mountains tall, 
In Elder Days before the fall 
Of mighty kings in Nargothrond 
And Gondolin, who now beyond 
The Western Seas have passed away: 
The world was fair in Durin's Day.

A king he was on carven throne 
In many-pillared halls of stone 
With golden roof and silver floor, 
And runes of power upon the door. 
The light of sun and star and moon 
In shining lamps of crystal hewn 
Undimmed by cloud or shade of night 
There shone for ever fair and bright.

There hammer on the anvil smote, 
There chisel clove, and graver wrote; 
There forged was blade, and bound was hilt; 
The delver mined, the mason built. 
There beryl, pearl, and opal pale, 
And metal wrought like fishes' mail, 
Buckler and corslet, axe and sword, 
And shining spears were laid in hoard.

Unwearied then were Durin's folk; 
Beneath the mountains music woke: 
The harpers harped, the minstrels sang, 
And at the gates the trumpets rang.

The world is grey, the mountains old, 
The forge's fire is ashen-cold; 
No harp is wrung, no hammer falls: 
The darkness dwells in Durin's halls; 
The shadow lies upon his tomb 
In Moria, in Khazad-dum. 
But still the sunken stars appear 
In dark and windless Mirrormere; 
There lies his crown in water deep, 
Till Durin wakes again from sleep

09/22/12

The World was young, the mountains green

Rough copy!

My own music set to text from J. R. R. Tolkien's poem from The Two Towers. Disclaimer: I do not own the text; this is a fanwork done purely for the love of the source. Thanks for listening!

Through Rohan over fen and field where the long grass grows
The West Wind comes walking, and about the walls it goes.
'What news from the West, O wandering wind, do you bring to me tonight?
Have you seen Boromir the Tall by moon or by starlight?'
'I saw him ride over seven streams, over waters wide and grey;
I saw him walk in empty lands, until he passed away
Into the shadows of the North. I saw him then no more.
The North Wind may have heard the horn of the son of Denethor.'
'O Boromir! From the high walls westward I looked afar,
But you came not from the empty lands where no men are.'

From the mouths of the Sea the South Wind flies, from the sandhills and the stones;
The wailing of the gulls it bears, and at the gate it moans.
'What news from the South, O sighing wind, do you bring to me at eve?
Where now is Boromir the fair? He tarries and I grieve.'
'Ask not of me where he doth dwell --- so many bones there lie
On the white shores and the dark shores under the stormy sky;
So many have passed down Anduin to find the flowing Sea.
Ask of the North Wind news of them the North Wind sends to me!'
'O Boromir! Beyond the gate the seaward road runs south,
But you came not with the wailing gulls from the grey sea's mouth.'

From the Gate of Kings the North Wind rides, and past the roaring falls;
And clear and cold about the tower its loud horn calls.
'What news from the North, O mighty wind, do you bring to me today?
What news of Boromir the Bold? For he is long away.'
'Beneath Amon Hen I heard his cry. There many foes he fought.
His cloven shield, his broken sword, they to the water brought.
His head so proud, his face so fair, his limbs they laid to rest;
And Rauros, golden Rauros-falls, bore him upon its breast.'
'O Boromir! The Tower of Gaurd shall ever northward gaze
To Rauros, golden Rauros-falls, until the end of days

10/02/12

Lament for Boromir

My own music set to text from J. R. R. Tolkien's poem from The Fellowship of the Ring. Disclaimer: I do not own the text; this is a fanwork done purely for the love of the source. Thanks for listening!

This is Galadriel's lament in Lothlorien. My apologies in advance for mangling the Quenya- I don't speak it and have nearly no idea what I'm doing.

Ai! laurië lantar lassi súrinen,
yéni únótimë ve rámar aldaron!
Yéni ve lintë yuldar avánier
mi oromardi lisse-miruvóreva
Andúnë pella, Vardo tellumar
nu luini yassen tintilar i eleni
ómaryo airetári-lírinen.

Sí man i yulma nin enquantuva?

An sí Tintallë Varda Oiolossëo
ve fanyar máryat Elentári ortanë,
ar ilyë tier undulávë lumbulë;
ar sindanóriello caita mornië
i falmalinnar imbë met, ar hísië
untúpa Calaciryo miri oialë.
Sí vanwa ná, Rómello vanwa, Valimar!

Namárië! Nai hiruvalyë Valimar.
Nai elyë hiruva. Namárië!

——-

Ah! like gold fall the leaves in the wind, 
long years numberless as the wings of trees! 
The years have passed like swift draughts 
of the sweet mead in lofty halls beyond the West, 
beneath the blue vaults of Varda
wherein the stars tremble in the song of her voice, holy and queenly. 

Who now shall refill the cup for me? 

For now the Kindler, Varda, the Queen of the Stars, 
from Mount Everwhite has uplifted her hands like clouds, 
and all paths are drowned deep in shadow; 
and out of a grey country darkness lies on the foaming waves between us,
and mist covers the jewels of Calacirya for ever. 
Now lost, lost to those from the East is Valimar!

Farewell! Maybe thou shalt find Valimar. 
Maybe even thou shalt find it. Farewell!

12/13/12

Namárië

My own music set to text from J. R. R. Tolkien's poem from The Fellowship of the Ring. Disclaimer: I do not own the text; this is a fanwork done purely for the love of the source. Thanks for listening!

I sang of leaves, of leaves of gold, and leaves of gold there grew:
Of wind I sang, a wind there came and in the branches blew.
Beyond the Sun, beyond the Moon, the foam was on the Sea,
And by the strand of Ilmarin there grew a golden Tree.
Beneath the stars of Ever-eve in Eldamar it shone,
In Eldamar beside the walls of Elven Tirion.
There long the golden leaves have grown upon the branching years,
While here beyond the Sundering Seas now fall the Elven-tears.
O Lórien! The Winter comes, the bare and leafless Day;
The leaves are falling in the stream, the River flows away.
O Lórien! Too long I have dwelt upon this Hither Shore
And in a fading crown have twined the golden elanor.
But if of ships I now should sing, what ship would come to me,
What ship would bear me ever back across so wide a Sea?

(02/19/2012)

I sang of leaves, of leaves of gold

Here’s song I wrote that I just finally got around to after someone requested it a few months ago- The Oath of Fëanor, as described in The Silmarillion, though the actual text is from Annals of Aman (Morgoth's Ring). I know that this is probably a poem that my voice is less suited to than most of the others I've done because of the darkness and fury in it, but I had a go anyways. Hope I did it at least some justice.  Ahhh!! Also - further experimentation with drop D tuning!

The Oath of Fêanor -  J. R. R. Tolkien

“Be he foe or friend, be he foul or clean
Brood of Morgoth or bright Vala,
Elda or Maia or Aftercomer,
Man yet unborn upon Middle-earth,
Neither law, nor love, nor league of swords,
Dread nor danger, not Doom itself
Shall defend him from Fëanáro, and Fëanáro’s kin,
Whoso hideth or hoardeth, or in hand taketh,
Finding keepeth or afar casteth
A Silmaril. This swear we all…
Death we will deal him ere Day’s ending,
Woe unto world’s end! Our word hear thou,
Eru Allfather! To the everlasting
Darkness doom us if our deed faileth…
On the holy mountain hear in witness
and our vow remember,
Manwë and Varda!”

(03/06/2013)

The Oath of Fëanor

I’ve been getting a handful of people asking after this song, so I thought I'd attempt it: here goes! Sorry for the blips in the recording towards the end. Music is mine- poetry is Tolkien’s.

"The leaves were long, the grass was green,
The hemlock-umbels tall and fair,
And in the glade a light was seen
Of stars in shadow shimmering.
Tinuviel was dancing there
To music of a pipe unseen,
And light of stars was in her hair,
And in her raiment glimmering.

There Beren came from mountains cold.
And lost he wandered under leaves,
And where the Elven-river rolled
He walked alone and sorrowing.
He peered between the hemlock-leaves
And saw in wonder flowers of gold
Upon her mantle and her sleeves,
And her hair like shadow following.

Enchantment healed his weary feet
That over hills were doomed to roam;
And forth he hastened, strong and fleet,
And grasped at moonbeams glistening.
Through woven woods in Elvenhome
She lightly fled on dancing feet,
And left him lonely still to roam
In the silent forest listening.

He heard there oft the flying sound
Of feet as light as linden-leaves,
Or music welling underground,
In hidden hollows quavering.
Now withered lay the hemlock-sheaves,
And one by one with sighing sound
Whispering fell the beachen leaves
In wintry woodland wavering.

He sought her ever, wandering far
Where leaves of years were thickly strewn,
By light of moon and ray of star
In frosty heavens shivering.
Her mantle glinted in the moon,
As on a hill-top high and far
She danced, and at her feet was strewn
A mist of silver quivering.

When winter passed, she came again,
And her song released the sudden spring,
Like rising lark, and falling rain,
And melting water bubbling.
He saw the elven-flowers spring
About her feet, and healed again
He longed by her to dance and sing
Upon the grass untroubling.

Again she fled, but swift he came,
Tinuviel! Tinuviel!
He called her by her elvish name;
And there she halted listening.
One moment stood she, and a spell
His voice laid on her: Beren came,
And doom fell on Tinuviel
That in his arms lay glistening.

As Beren looked into her eyes
Within the shadows of her hair,
The trembling starlight of the skies
He saw there mirrored shimmering.
Tinuviel the elven-fair,
Immortal maiden elven-wise,
About him cast her shadowy hair
And arms like silver glimmering.

Long was the way that fate them bore,
O'er stony mountains cold and grey,
Through halls of iron and darkling door,
And woods of nightshade morrowless.
The Sundering Seas between them lay,
And yet at last they met once more,
And long ago they passed away
In the forest singing sorrowless."

(04/17/2013)

The Lay of Luthien

I'm a singer-songwriter with a passion for folk music and high fantasy, currently living in Washington DC.  A vocalist, guitarist, and (hesitant) violinist, I combine finger-picked guitar, intricate vocal harmonies, and folk-inspired melodies to create my music. 

If you love Lord of the Rings, please check out ‘Roads Go Ever, Ever On’, my collection of J. R. R. Tolkien’s poems set to original music. I also have a fair number of Age of Sail poems floating around as well (pun intended), as well as other poetry settings.

In addition to writing and setting songs, I’ve also acted in and composed/arranged/performed music for several theatrical productions including Twelfth Night (Bare Bodkin, Tufts University), Richard III (Tufts University), The Unnatural Tragedy (British American Drama Academy), and The Legend of Jim Cullen (Heartwood Regional Theatre Company).

Hope you’ll take a listen and enjoy!

Also, if you would like tabs, feel free to message me to request them and I'll post them here: https://drive.google.com/?authuser=0#folders/0B8YEQFEX6ZybdGpmZ2pwTUVyczA

The World was young, the mountains green

Adele McAllister

Recent comments

Jasmine G

Ben Fightthepower

Related tracks