Elisa M. Welch

The 15 Songs on The Wheel

Elisa’s Songs on iTunes
All the music from The Wheel is available via iTunes. You can listen to excerpts, or download/purchase individual songs, or the entire album.

1. The Singer Songwriter / words and music by Elisa M. Welch © 1990
An excerpt from this song is available in RealAudio format. If you don't have a RealAudio player, you may want to visit here first so that you can hear the excerpt.

I’ll tell you a tale about writing this song
The music came easy but the words were all wrong
The best news of all is it’s not very long
Here’s a health to the singer songwriter

I’ve never been known as the talkative kind
(talking was never my strong suit)
The truth is my reticence boggles the mind
But writing this doggerel’s a chance to unwind
(lets me relax and unwind)
While playing the singer songwriter

With my pen in my hand and my heart on my sleeve
There’s a grand inclination to publicly grieve
For the cruel-hearted lover who’ll inevitably leave
The arms of some singer songwriter

I’ll tell you a tale about writing this song
The music came easy but the words were all wrong
The best news of all is it’s not very long

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Never a moment’s thought
Not much concentration
Went into writing these
Lyrics on demand

So many fine artists
Have to go commercial
Why does it feel dirty
Just to join a band?

Took my eyes off the road
Only for a moment
Never knew what happened
Suddenly a light

Light is what they all see
In their transformations
Space alienations
Off to join the Martians
Off to paint the town

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3. Fiddler’s Green / words and music by John Connolly © 1966;
arrangement by Elisa M. Welch © 1997

As I walked by the dockside one evenin’ so fair
To view the salt water and take the sea air
I heard an old fisherman singin’ a song
Won’t you take me away, boys, me time is not long

[chorus] Wrap me up in me oilskin and jumper
No more on the docks I’ll be seen
Just tell me ol’ shipmates I’m takin’ a trip, mates
And I’ll see you one day on Fiddler’s Green

Now Fiddler’s Green is a place I hear tell
Where fishermen go when they don’t go to hell
The skies are all clear and the dolphins do play
And the cold coast of Greenland is far, far away

[chorus] Wrap me up...

When you get on the docks and the long journey’s through
There’s pubs and there’s clubs and there’s lasses there, too
The girls are all pretty and the beer it is free
And there’s bottles of rum growin’ from every tree

[chorus] Wrap me up...

I don’t need a harp nor a halo, not me
Just give me a breeze and a good rolling sea
I’ll play me ol’ squeezebox as we sail along
With the wind in the riggin’ to sing me a song

[chorus] Wrap me up...

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4. Samhain (Into the Winter’s Night) / words and music by Elisa M. Welch © 1998
An excerpt from this song is available in RealAudio format. If you don't have a RealAudio player, you may want to visit here first so that you can hear the excerpt.

Sun’s rays
How they shine
Long days of summer
Long days
Fade to night
Cross one another

Into the winter’s
Into the winter’s night

Cold days
Crisp and clear
Harvest desire
Harvest
Draws us near
Dance round the fire

Into the winter’s
Into the winter’s night

Watching the moon we
Wonder at all her might
Pulling the tide she
Catches our eye she
Washes us in her silvery light

Samhain
Sets the stage
Cast off your sorrows
Cast off
Turn the page
Dream of tomorrow

Into the winter’s
Into the winter’s night

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5. Beside Yourself / words and music by Elisa M. Welch © 1989

[chorus] Land ho, up she rises,
Weather’s in the ground out here
It’s another sunny day
Don’t panic, duck and cover!
You can live beside yourself in Californiay

If you’ve ever seen a blizzard
Then you know
It’s a drag to lose your car
In a hundred feet of snow

[chorus] Land ho ...

When a hurricane hits
All that wind and water
Will wash away the weatherstripping
On your new umbrella

[chorus] Land ho ...

Every time a twister funnels to the ground
I wonder how poor Toto kept them doggie biscuits down

[chorus] Land ho ...

If the earth is a ship
Tossing to and fro
Let some ballast off the fault
And drop the anchor far below

[chorus] Land ho ...

[final chorus] Don’t cry, shaking’s over
Things have settled down out here
It’s another sunny day
Goodbye is not the answer
You can live beside yourself in Californiay

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[chorus] The sand dollars hang on a Christmas tree
The dolphins swim in a zoo
The wildflowers come in a catalog
What’s gonna happen to you?

You jump in your car
A cellular phone in your face
The freeway’s a crawl to a race
Checking the clock you cancel a meeting at ten
Stuck in traffic again

[chorus] The sand dollars...

Lunch at your desk
Reviewing some critical file
The estimate’s off by a mile
Checking your stocks and chewing antacids all day
Considering running away

When’s the last time you ran barefoot in the sand?
Or held a sand dollar in your hand?

[chorus] The sand dollars...

Vacation at last
Check in to the luxury suite
Plush carpet under your feet
The 50th floor affords an incredible view
But how far removed are you?

[chorus] The sand dollars...

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7. Eileen Aroon / words by Gerald Griffin (19th century),
from Gaelic words by Cearbhaill O’Daliagh (14th century);
music by Lady Caroline Keppel; arrangement by Elisa M. Welch © 1994

When like an early rose, Eileen Aroon
Beauty in childhood grows, Eileen Aroon
When like a diadem buds blush around the stem
Which is the fairest gem?

[chorus] Eileen Aroon, Eileen Aroon, Eileen Aroon

When I am far away, Eileen Aroon
Be gayest of the gay, Eileen Aroon
Too dear your happiness for me to wish it less
Love has no selfishness,

[chorus] Eileen Aroon...

And it must be our pride, Eileen Aroon
Our trusting tears to hide, Eileen Aroon
They wish our love to blight, we’ll wait for Fortune’s light
The flowers close up at night

[chorus] Eileen Aroon...

Fortune thus sought will come, Eileen Aroon
We’ll win a happy home, Eileen Aroon
And as it slowly rose ’twill tranquilly repose
A rock ’mid melting snows

[chorus] Eileen Aroon...

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[chorus] Sorting it all out while taking it all in
Summing it all up and writing it all down
Sorting it all out while taking it all in
Summing it all up and writing it all down

Sing the big note
The point is not how technically perfect the pitch is
Sing the big note
The voices fill the room is all
Sing the big note
Just open your mouth and let the spirit sway you
Sing the big note
We sing we dance we understand it all

[chorus] Sorting it all out...

Sing the big note
We shouldn’t take our fellow beings for granted
Sing the big note
We shouldn’t kick ourselves when we are down
Sing the big note
We really ought to open our eyes
Sing the big note
It’s not too late to turn it around

[chorus] Sorting it all out...

Sing the big note
So gather round ye inexperienced voices
Sing the big note
Together we can make a song
Sing the big note
Call the power within to make the choices
Sing the big note
We’ll weave a great tune to carry on

[chorus] Sorting it all out...

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Doldrums of the day
I’m drifting away
On the other side
With eyes open wide
As I turn around
A merry-go-round
Is frequently found
In my dream, in my dream

Far away from home
Yet never alone
Falling thru the air
I haven’t a care
Swimming in the sky
No fear I might die
It seems I can fly
In my dream, in my dream

Doorways out of ceilings
Windows into time
Stairways going nowhere
Running, I’m

High above the clouds
The music is loud
Dancing in the sun
I’m just having fun
Opening every door
To see what’s in store
There’s got to be more
In my dream, in my dream

Now I lay me down to sleep
Mother Earth my soul to keep
If I die before I wake
Mother Earth my soul to take...

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10. Imbolc (Tir na N’Og) / words and music by Elisa M. Welch © 1999
Three MP3 files are available for this song, courtesy of Web Techniques columnist Lincoln D. Stein. Of course you’ll need an MP3 player to play the samples. If you don’t have one, poke around here and see what you find. Not totally unlike Goldilocks, you get to choose the one that's just right: one at the highest sampling rate, (128Mbps, a 2.6MB download); or one at the lowest rate (32Mbps, a 683KB download); or one in the middle (64Mbps, a 1.3MB download).

All in a day
The winter melts away
Frozen ground
Begins to thaw
Far and away
It’s the way we play in Tir na N’Og

All in a song
Brigit comes along
Holding a light
She teaches us to sing
Singing along
We banish winter and welcome spring

Light a candle bright
At the end of night there’ll come a day

Winter is done
We’re turning to the sun
Fire in the sky
Ignites the day
Fiery star
Reminds us who we are lest we drift away

Imbolc greets blue moon
And they play a tune to light the way

All in a day
The winter melts away
Frozen ground
Begins to thaw
Far and away
It’s the way we play in Tir na N’Og

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The trees whisper and the trees sing
The redwoods howl when they’re in a ring
The cypress swoon when the moon does her thing
The trees know, the trees know

The ocean hisses and the ocean heaves
The sea sparkles when everybody leaves
(lovely in the sunlight)
The water washes all my fears away
The ocean knows, the ocean knows

The earth trembles and the ground creeps
The terra firma sometimes falls in heaps
(ain’t so firma after all)
The valleys crawl and the mountains leap
The earth knows, the earth knows

The fire burns and the fire glows
The fire consumes what the humans sow
(build it up and burn it down)
The blaze is hot and the flames do grow
The fire knows, the fire knows

The trees whisper and the trees sing
The redwoods howl when they’re in a ring
(magic spirit circle)
The cypress swoon when the moon does her thing
The trees know, the trees know
The trees know, the trees know

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It was down by the Sally Garden
My love and I did meet
She passed by the Sally Garden
On little snow white feet

She bid me take life easy
As the leaf grows on the tree
But I being young and foolish
With her could not agree

In a field down by the river
My love and I did stand
And on my leaning shoulder
She laid her snow white hand

She bid me take love easy
As the grass grows on the weir
But I was young and foolish
And now I’m full of tears

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Take no scorn to wear the horn
It was the crest when you were born
Your mother’s husband wore it
And your father wore it, too

[chorus] Heel an toe, jolly rumbalo
We were up long before the day-o
To welcome in the summer
To welcome in the May-o
Summer is a comin’ in and winter’s gone away-o

Robin Hood and Little John
Have both gone to the fair-o
And we will to the merry green wood
To hunt the buck and hare-o

[chorus] Heel an toe...

We have brought the budding branch
To bless each hearth and bed-o
For none should lie alone tonight
But to the wood instead-o

[chorus] Heel an toe...

Bless the lady and the lord
And all who dwell in here-o
And bless the little children born
At turning of the year-o

[chorus] Heel an toe...

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In the name of the Father
They pave the path that Mother sets aside
They’re in for a very bumpy ride
They’re chasing each other
On down the road to global suicide

[chorus] When it’s easy to cast condemnation
It’s easier to sell salvation
When it’s easy to cast condemnation
It’s easier to sell salvation
When it’s easy to cast condemnation
It’s easier to sell salvation

Like caped crusaders
The Lord’s invaders set upon the land
They want the earth religions banned
Self-righteous bastards
Condemning all that they don’t understand

[chorus] When it’s easy...

They teach us to hate our bodies in order to save our souls
They poison Mother’s garden
And sell real estate for some off-planet deity
Some guy who looks like Santa Claus
Is that what you’ve been sold?

As it is in heaven
Forget the Earth, the water and the land
Forsake Her people where they stand
If that’s your offer
Excuse me, sir, I’ll stay here with the damned

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I’ve been a wild rover for many’s a year
And I’ve spent all me money on whiskey and beer
But now I’m returning with gold in great store
And I never will play the wild rover no more

[chorus] And it’s no, nay, never
No, nay, never no more
Will I play the wild rover
No, never, no more

I went into an alehouse I used to frequent
And I told the landlady me money was spent
I asked her for credit she answered me, “Nay!
Such a cust’mer as you I can get any day”

[chorus] And it’s no, nay, never...

Then out from my pocket I pulled shillings bright
And the landlady’s eyes opened wide with delight
She said, “We have whiskey and wines of the best
And the words that I spoke, sir, were only in jest”

[chorus] And it’s no, nay, never...

And I think I’ve learned my lesson, now
And I really am sincere

I’ll go back to my parents, confess what I done
And I’ll ask them to pardon their prodigal son
And if they embrace me as oft’ times before
No I never will play the wild rover no more

[chorus] And it’s no, nay, never...

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Lyrics and Sound Samples