One of the many long and winding woodland paths to our present duo was a bardic voice and harp duo (myself and Vanessa Wood-Davies) called Waywood which recorded some wonderful stuff, including this tale of the heroic exploits of Hereward the Wake. (Hereward himself plays harp in one of the stories.) Spoken folk ballads and harp feel as old as the woods - indeed Homeric epic and the Old Testament is full of them. Vanessa played (brilliantly) live with Peacock's Tale recently on 'Bring Me To Fring All Saints" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqA6YQnWW_o and there are also recordings made with her in our Soundcloud discography. eg  https://soundcloud.com/gareth-calway/skirting-heresy-in-full

Twilight in the greenwood, is Hereward awake? 
Grey and ghostly shadows are gliding through the brake, 
Shadows of the dappled deer, dreaming of the morn, 
Dreaming of a hooded man that winds a shadowy horn. 


In the Lincoln greenwood, 
In the Bruneswald, 
Yellow-haired, sky-eyed, 
Great-hearted and bold, 

For the soul of England; 
For your own spirit's sake, 
Lift your heart and voice up 
For Hereward the Wake! 

A wild swan, a curlew, 
A fen-son, a tiger; 
His high blood-tide exiled 
By Edward the Confessor. 

Performs magic deeds 
In the North, Cornwall, Ireland; 
Fights fearless and feared 
For Flanders, his wife-land. 

Family home 'Normaned' 
With his brother's severed head; 
Returns, puts the murderers' 
15 heads there instead. 

In the Lincoln greenwood, 
In the Bruneswald, 
Yellow-haired, sky-eyed, 
Great-hearted and bold, 

For the soul of England; 
For your own spirit's sake, 
Lift your heart and voice up 
For Hereward the Wake! 

As free as the waters 
That flow through the fen, 
As the limitless skies 
In the eyes of good men, 

To the Saxon Abbot 
Of Ely he speeds; 
Lords, with King Sweyn of Denmark, 
Its marsh, mere and reeds. 

His wood-spirit leaves-drops 
The Conqueror's hush-biz 
Then is gone like a breeze 
Through the secret rushes 

Through the emerald horse-fen, 
The diamond and gold, 
Yellow-haired, sky-eyed, 
Great-hearted and bold, 

For the soul of England; 
For your own spirit's sake, 
Lift your heart and voice up 
For Hereward the Wake! 

With Saxon Earl Morcar 
Defends Ely Isle 
Fights witch-fire and war-craft 
With fire, bow and guile. 

The Norman machine 
Cannot conquer his fastness; 
Greed's causeway goes down 
In full armour and harness. 

Though our monks will give up, 
Afraid for their lands, 
Their arms and his paths, 
He will slip through their hands 

To the Lincoln greenwood, 
To the Bruneswald, 
Yellow-haired, sky-eyed, 
Great-hearted and bold, 

For the soul of England; 
For your own spirit's sake, 
Lift your heart and voice up 
For Hereward the Wake! 

Raids Peterborough Abbey, 
Frees God's Saxon gold 
From the thief-Norman grip 
Of its tyrant monk Turold. 

As free as the waters 
That flow through the fen, 
As the limitless skies 
In the eyes of good men, 

From the Normans learns war, 
Bonds with Flemings and Danes 
But when King Sweyn makes peace, 
Stays true to the thanes 

In the Lincoln greenwood, 
In the Bruneswald, 
Yellow-haired, sky-eyed, 
Great-hearted and bold, 

For the soul of England; 
For your own spirit's sake, 
Lift your heart and voice up 
For Hereward the Wake!


Gareth Calway - words, voice, drums, horn
Vanessa Wood--Davies  - tune, harp
From https://thepenlandphezants.bandcamp.com/album/living-the-dream-the-penland-phezants-story
Pic by Bhas Allan.

Is Hereward Awake?

Ekspektasi - Kunto Aji (cover) @tarrarin

Song and Lyrics by : Resnu Aditya and AlGhufron
Arranged by : AlGhufron, Aryo Bhaskoro, Giri Soeseno, Ricky Andy
Recorded, Mixed and Mastered by : Sasi Kirono @ Satrio Piningit Studio

thoughts???!?

Umay Shahab