New Lyric – The Dreaming

I first went to Australia in 2009 just before the launch of Tales from the Crow Man. I went to play music at a concert/festival called The Druids Dreaming near Adelaide and I fell in love with the country immediately. I’ve been back twice since to tour with Spiral Dance and each time I have brought a little more of Australia home in my heart (or maybe I’ve left a little bit of me in the land). Australia is alive and infectious. The Spirit of the Land and the people get under your skin. The history and spirit of the native stories still sing from the land, from The Dreaming.

The seed for this song was planted back in 2009, when I saw my first Roo, when I met Old Gum Tree, and walked in the warm waters of the ocean. The shoots and leaves unfurled on my next two visits when I learned more of the land and its stories, and now the flower has taken full bloom.

So this song is dedicated to all of my Australian friends, to that glorious land, to anyone who has been there and knows what I’m singing about, and to anyone who dreams of the long trek down under.

The Dreaming – Damh the Bard

Verse 1:

Welcome now a visitor to your shore,

Following a dream I can’t ignore,

From a distant land you may never know,

Of sun and rain and snow.

Here where the endless skies reach for the sun,

The Gum trees stand like the Oaks of Albion,

And the land sings in lines of ancient song,

For the soul to sing along.

Chorus:

And the Southern Cross shines down on where I stand,

And I hear the voices from the Singing Land.

Verse 2:

Here where the land still is king,

Beneath red sand the Ancestors are dreaming,

And a Mother knows which song will be sung,

When a new life has begun.

A serpent made a path across the land,

Formed the rivers and mountains where they stand,

These songs are in the kookaburra’s call,

But she’s laughing at us all.

Chorus:

And the Southern Cross shines down on where I stand,

And I hear the voices from the Singing Land.

Bridge:

Oh I can feel you dreaming,

Oh I can feel you dreaming,

Oh I can feel you dreaming, Oh.

Verse 3:

Familiar stars now shine from up above,

I’ve returned to the land that I love,

But my heart must try to understand,

It’s now shared by another land.

Beneath the Plough I look to the setting sun,

As I stand once more on the land of Albion,

But the Southern Cross will guide me to your shore,

To hear you sing once more.

Chorus:

And the Southern Cross will shine down on where I stand,

And I’ll hear the voices from the Singing Land.

Oh, can you feel me dreaming?

Oh, can you feel me dreaming?

Oh, can you feel me dreaming, oh.

19 responses to “New Lyric – The Dreaming”

  1. Had me in bloomin tears this one did at Pagancon, and honoured to be amonst the first to hear it played, Blessed Be … must go back to WA to reconnect with the piece of heart I left there

  2. Having been in the “Singing Land’ these beautiful lyrics brought it all back to me – that sense of ancientness, of beauty, of a deep connection to Mother Earth. Thank you! 🙂

  3. It had me in tears at Preston’s PaganCon too. And I agree with the man who makes the exquisite ‘Dragonsbreath’ mead, it was a special privilege to be part of the first audience to hear it performed. Moments like that will live with you forever. And then to complete the evening we all sang ‘Wild Mountain Thyme’ and ‘Spirit of Albion’…. perfect! 🙂

  4. Loved the new song the dreaming we where at the pagan con spent the night singing along and loved wild mountain time to finish the evening big big thankyou

  5. That made my morning! Can’t wait to hear it……. I sit here in Brisbane tears falling into the Macadamia Muesli…..I love Australia but I have a part of me in Albion too /|

  6. It’s wonderful to hear your love of Australia Damh, it helps me to appreciate this vast dreaming land where I was born and now live, and it quells my longing (just a little) to return to Europe and the UK to reconnect with the lands of my ancestors. These lyrics are a beautiful bridge. Thanks.

  7. Beautiful! Can’t wait to hear the song. It also answered a musing for me. I wondered why I was so drawn to gum trees. I have many photos of them as I have been on my travels around SA. They must remind me of the oaks of Albion. The penny drops!

  8. Beautiful !! Gave me the shivers and left me quite teary. Thank you Damh the Bard for honouring this land with your amazing and soulful music.

    Blessed Be, Marian (Australia)

  9. Hello, I am an Ovate

    Chinese have miraculous soups for everything : cold or hot type, liver, heart, lung … etc. Nothing is really proven and it’s just belief but it’s a healthy attitude which help them to feel better and comfort their belief in the greatness of the Chinese civilization. Eat everyday a Yogurt because milk is good for health and it’s link to our mother Brigid reminding us that the Celtic community is healthy. If you have cholesterol, add one apple.

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