On the edge of Sansom Wood in Sherwood Forest, an imposing victorian pumping station, nicknamed the 'Cathedral of Steam' rises above the treetops. 
When built in 1881, it represented an internationally significant leap forward in public sanitation, reducing cholera outbreaks in overcrowded Nottingham by supplying clean water from beneath the bedrock.

Unfortunately for the people of Sherwood Forest, Papplewick Pumping station (along with later mine-workings) had the unintended consequence of lowering the local water table, altering the landscape and drying up local rivers and springs. This song is written from the perspective of those affected.

Running through the forest,
It floods the woodland floor,
It sank into the mineworks,
They piped it to your door

They pumped it from the bedrock,
They sent it to the town,
And now the wheels of progress 
Go round and round and round and round.

The Cathedral of Sansom Wood
The saviour of us all,
If it hadn’t been for Papplewick,
There’d be no town at all,
And though Nottingham Ale is the very best of brews,
We need clean water too.

Rising like a spire,
The chimneys in the sky,
Watch as the big beam enines,
Turn flywheels as they fly,
Round and round like circle dancers,
In the month of May,
Taking Sherwood's water,
And pumping it a way away.

And watching as the river levels 
Drop way down below,
The water table falling 
As the city starts to grow,
And though Nottingham’s health is the very best of news,
We need that water too. 

And poverty comes calling in many funny ways,
But to’ve lost our source of water never ceases to amaze,
The saviour of the city can be no awful thing,
But how can we keep our livestock, if there’s nothing left for them  to drink?

Billowing her blackened smoke in to the forest sky,
The cathedral of Sansom wood, so mighty and so high,
Sometimes the best intentions have the very worst effects,
And ones you didn’t expect.

Cathedral Of Sansom Wood

Robertson’s Reel/Colgrave Sound/Hurlock’s Reel

Reacclimate

Take, Take, Take

O Great Mother

There is no love of life without despair of life -- Albert Camus

inside my head a strange conviction
I am separated from everything I used to know
is there a name to put to this condition that leaves me so hollow

waiting for a break in the weather
waiting for a sea change in the back of your mind
stranger things have happened 
but you're wasting precious time

or was I just meant to be a broken thing
was it fiction to believe it would be otherwise
in the final reckoning

you woke last night to the sound of her voice
calling your name once again
she said you still have a choice 
but your chances are getting slim

inside you're bleeding
because you know it's never going to be the same again
and I know that every memory  
is like jagged glass in your hand

were you just meant to be a broken thing
was it fiction to believe it would be otherwise
in the final reckoning

you feel the weight of a thousand miles
every step that remains should be easy now

but the road goes on

there's a rain that flows away
every doubt and darkness of mind
and it comes to remind you
that every child will find the light

let us never take for granted
all the blessings of the rising day
brother if you and I are the last ones standing
we'll raise a glass to the ones we knew on the way

Broken Things

Spotify Link

Done on my 1945 Martin 0-18.  
For my wife, who loves angels.

I'll Fly Away

The Green Hills Of Earth

A tune I wrote for a dear friend, Julianne, who taught grade school band and now plays drums in a couple of bands.

Song For Julianne

First time recording with autoharp, gift from Marc. This tune is dedicated to him, we met in Israel long time ago, still friends.

Tune For Marc

From the album ”Rain.” 
Cover art by Gray Lee.

Lyrics:

Rain

Rain is right
Right as rain
Rain is right
Right as rain

Last night you went sleepwalking in the storm
I heard your muddy feet coming in the doorway
Open eyes but blind you were carrying water
And you woke me up with kisses and you went on your way
You left me here with nothing, nothing to say 
But thank you for giving me a midnight taste of

Rain is right
Right as rain
Rain is right
Right as rain

I feel like I've been sleeping through my days
You loom larger now that you've gone away
I can hear you whispering hurricanes
And you wake me up with kisses then you go on your way
You leave me here with nothing, nothing to say
But thank you for filling up the ice cube tray with

Rain is right
Right as rain
Rain is right
Right as rain

Rain

A tune written on a strumstick after watching a documentary on condors. 

Instruments:
McNally strumstick, Killarney whistle, shruti box, organ, tingsha bells

Condor

Multi-instrumental folk. All songs and tunes are originals, with many lyrics inspired by history and folklore. Played on mandola, charango, mandolin, maulincho, whistles, melodeon, accordion, balalaika, glockenspiel, venezuelan cuatro, nykelharpa and streichzither amongst others. Recorded on a Boss BR-1200 12 track.

Cathedral Of Sansom Wood

Drury Hill Ghosts

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