Mixtape.
 

NINE GODDESS TALES

Tracklist

1. BLESS THE GODDESS buy track
2. BEAUTIFUL SADNESS buy track
3. TWELVE WILD SWANS buy track
4. LORD OF THE VINE buy track
5. LOVE LIES BLEEDING buy track
6. ROSEMARY AND TIME buy track
7. BOATMAN buy track
8. REGARDS TO THE ANGELS buy track
9. HERE ON EARTH buy track

Available On

About This Album

Nine Goddess Tales

Artist: SUSAN DEVOR COGAN
Label: NOMAD MUSIC
Release Date: 17-8-2017
Genres: FOLK, FOLK-FUSION

Available Lyrics

BLESS THE GODDESS

BLESS THE GODDESS / words & music by Susan Devor Cogan

Bless The Goddess And Bless The God
Bless The Goddess And Bless The God
Within and all around you
Within and all around.

Bless the Lady and bless the Lord
Bless the Lady and bless the Lord
Within and all around you
Within and all around.

(Hebrew) B’Rucha HaShachina,
(i=ee) B’Rucha HaShachina,
Bifnim ooh misaviv
Bifnim ooh mIsaviv

Ha Kadosh Baruch Hoo
Ha Kadosh Baruch Hoo
Bifnim ooh misaviv
Bifnim ooh mIsaviv


BEAUTIFUL SADNESS

BEAUTIFUL SADNESS / by Susan Cogan & Jerome Jarvis

Beautiful sadness, flowing and smooth,
Is draping the lady in darkened hue.
The joyous creation awaiting you,
Lies only a veil away

Formless as water. Drifting in snow,
Her memories resounding from long ago.
What once was forgotten returns to sow
The seeds of her lonely day

Caught in the whirlpool of challenging tides
The lady is swirling her arms thrown wide
Swirling and whirling the years race by
Yet none reveal the way.

Beautiful sadness, flowing and smooth,
Is draping the lady in darkened hue.
The joyous creation awaiting you,
Lies only a veil away

TWELVE WILD SWANS

The Twelve Wild Swans
a song by Susan Cogan c 2007 (from the fairytale by Hans Christian Anderson)

Rose could feel the ghosts surrounding
Through the tears of her old nurse
Who every summer took to crying
Haunted by a secret curse

Rose inquired of her mother
From the queen came no reply
Neither from the king her father
But from her nurse this tale she pried

Oh my child you had twelve brothers
Lost to us before your birth
For a fateful wish your mother
Spoke aloud did end their mirth

“Oh how I wish I had a daughter
With skin as white as falling snow
Raven hair as black as water
Lips as red as blood on snow
For such a daughter I would barter
All my sons, I’d let them go.”

No sooner had the words been spoken
In a flash the boys were gone
By a fairy witch were stolen
She turned your brothers into swans
None has seen them since that day
Since the day they flew away

Rose did up and part the castle
Leaving home and family
From now on she would endeavor
Her twelve brothers for to see
Through the forest wandered she
Following a stream to sea

By the shore as sun was setting
Twelve wild swans flew in to land
And their little sister greeting
As they transformed into man

‘We swore the first maid we encountered
By our hands to murder now
Revenge for that our mother uttered.”
Said Rose “Brothers break that vow.”
{Brothers break that vow
Brothers break that wicked vow} chant & dance!

Then all thirteen broke bread together
Gladness in the family
Men by night, by day a feathered
Rose longed to set her brothers free








So in a reedy basket woven
High above the stormy sea
They carried Rose across the ocean
Flying to the land of dreams
To the land of dreams they go
To meet the ancient fairy crone

Come the night to bed they settle
The fairy speaks to Rose in dreams
“You must make twelve shirts of nettle
The task is greater than it seems
If you are the spell to break
Not a sound the whole while make.”

One day while Rose was at her task
Rode by a king upon his steed
He fell in love with her and asked
“Will you come my bride to be?”
Gathering her nettle shirts undone
She rode along to his kingdom

Seasons glad these lovers saw
And soon to Rose were two babes born
But jealous mad her mother-in-law
Came at night the cradles robbed
Stained with blood her mouth and clothes
Blamed the murders foul on Rose

Now Rose is staked upon the pyre
Sewing still with all her might
As the sunset flames rise higher
Twelve wild swans draw near in flight

She throws the nettle shirts upon them
As one by one they swoop down by
Wild swans turn into fine men
And free their sister from the fire
Rose her task yet finishing
The youngest brother has one wing

Now the magic deed accomplished
Rose proclaims her innocence
With her brothers reunited
By her work done in silence
And her babes restored to Rose
By the ancient fairy crone

By Rose’s silence, fate was altered
As she made her nettle shirts
Through the years she never faltered
Rose her task did not desert
{All is lively all is laughter
All live happily ever after} chant & dance!

LORD OF THE VINE

Lord of the Vine
© J. Jarvis SOCAN 1989

We struggle we sweat. We strive and we strain
For what little we get, for some pitiful gain;
And we try to believe it was worth all the pain,
Of earning a living mere life to maintain.
No wonder we gather to try and forget
The fortunes we’ve spent just to keep our throats wet.
{chorus} Sing for the Lord of the Vine.
Raise your glasses in praise of his wine.
The fruits of our labour is something to savour, so
Pour it on strong. We’ll sing along.

From quarries and harbours we each make our way
To the taverns and bars at the close of each day.
To slake our great thirst with the last of our pay.
Till credit runs slim and our wits float away.
{chorus} Sing for the Lord of the Vine.
Raise your glasses in praise of his wine.
The fruits of our labour is something to savour, so
Pour it on strong.

{bridge} We’ll sing this song with the last of our breath,
Since even a poor life is better than death;
And none can be certain that the other side
Of the dividing curtain is liberally supplied.

Queen of all grains, Demeter, called Ceres
For cereal miracles sprouting each year.
The goddess of growing things blesses our crops
Of barley and corn and flowering tops (hops?)
Sing for the Queen of the Earth,
For our mothers who bore us at birth.
The milk of Her kindness brings brilliance or blindness so
Be of good cheer! Bring on the beer.
Pour it on strong! We’ll sing along.

(extra 3rd verse)
From study and questing we all deserve rest,
When day after day we are put to some test.
From such ceaseless searching we’d soon go insane,
If not for some potion to shut off the brain.

LOVE LIES BLEEDING

Love Lies Bleeding
words & music by Susan Devor Cogan

Long last the crossroads come to sight
You chose the left I chose the right
My parting gift a string of hope
To tie your bundles of mumble and mope

Chorus: What do you say my friend, say my friend,
Say my friend, oh say my friend
La love lies bleeding at my door

You go your way its your way to go
And for the way I’d like to sew you a bag of love
A bag of love, to hold your fears
A baggy of love

Chorus: What do you say my friend, say my friend,
Say my friend, oh say my friend
La love lies bleeding at my door

What can I give you to show you I love you
To show you I love you what can I give you
A box of angels a box of angels
Take them with you wherever you live

Chorus: What do you say my friend, say my friend,
Say my friend, oh say my friend
La love lies bleeding at my door

Why don’t you stay my friend, say my friend,
Stay my friend, oh say my friend
La love lies bleeding at my door

ROSEMARY AND TIME

Rosemary and Time
words & music by Susan Devor Cogan

It’s been a long time since I heard Rosemary laugh
Singing along with the phonograph
It’s been a long time since Rosemary has been
All smiles, bursting at the seams…
Like it’s been a long time

It’s been time since I heard her laugh along
Singing her paintings and painting her songs
It’s been a long time
Since Rosemary has been
Shopping for a wedding ring
To wear for a time

Chorus: How I’d like to hold her
How I’d like to help
How I’d like to wear the moon
On a golden chain

I’ve been a long time since it heard Rosemary’s laugh
Tearing and twisting her heart in half
And it will take time as the kings fine horses know.
‘Til she learns to grow back together again

Chorus: How I’d like to hold her
How I’d like to help
How I’d like to wear the moon
On a golden chain

BOATMAN

Boatman
words & music by Susan Devor Cogan

Boatman, Boatman, take me across the water
Boatman, Boatman, across the sea of tears
If your tears won’t flow there’ll be no water for me
If your tears won’t flow there’ll be no way to cross
Boatman, Boatman, take me across the water
Boatman, Boatman, across the sea of tears

REGARDS TO THE ANGELS

Regards to the Angels
©Jerome Jarvis ’94 SOCAN

Last night I dreamed of flying. There was no up or down.
Soaring over the mountains. Overlooking the town.
Seen from above a miniature world of greens and greys and browns.
I awoke with tear-filled eyes to be stuck to the ground.

I wondered why I was crying, to wake and feel despair.
Was it losing the freedom of wind and sky and air?
These sharp transitions strain our wings, it all seems so unfair
To have to leave this lovely dream and go back home somewhere.

Every day more of us are dying. Packing up to move away.
Nobody gets to be forever where we think we should stay.
This life is short and sometimes sweet; and this is why we pray :
Give our regards to the angels we shall earn our wings one day.

Give our regards to the angels we shall earn our wings one day.

HERE ON EARTH

Here on Earth
words & music by Susan Devor Cogan

Father Ocean, mother mountain
Child of the Universe
Grow your garden, love your neighbour
While we’re here on Earth
Here, Here on Earth