The Moleskine strikes again...

[fleetfootmike]

I woke up this morning with a song in my head.
Not someone else's song, nor even one I'd written.
But.. most of a brand new song.
Tune and all.
On a subject I'd not even been considering writing about.

Grabbed the notebook, headed for the train, and finished it on the train.
Still boggled.

The Miller's Tale
Words & Music: Mike Whitaker
(feel somewhere like a non-shuffle version of Fairport/Ralph McTell's Bird From The Mountain)

My name is Mearson Oldham
I am keeper of the mill
Five hundred years and more it's stood
Its sails seldom still
John Barleycorn's my life and work
The Good Lord is my guide
Miller I will be until
He calls me to His side.

Winds blow, sails turn, every single morn
Shaft spins, wheels move, swift to grind the corn
Hands knead, bread's made, each day with the lark
And on each loaf and sack of flour
The miller sets his mark

Beside the road to Lincoln town
My windmill can be seen
My house is named for Providence
The Good Lord sends to me
The farms from here to Deeping
Bring the corn for me to grind
For which I praise the Lord above
With heart and gladsome mind

John Barleycorn is with me
From dawn to dusk always
The corn I grind, the bread I bake
On each and every day
When all is safely gathered in
Then to the church we come
To thank God for his goodness
With a song of harvest home

repeat verse 1

---

For those who don't know... the house Anne, James and I live in is called the Mill House. It's pretty obvious why, since we have a windmill at the bottom of our garden.
If you go stand out the front, there's a couple of stones in the wall that have a set of initials ('MMO'), a date, and the original name of the house - Providence House.
The 1880 census names the miller as Mearson M. Oldham. I see him, somehow, as a proud, God-fearing man with a simple understanding of his place in God's world.

---

And yes, the lyrics are under a process of continuous revision :) I think I'm happy with them now.

Comments

[rinioth.livejournal.com]

Nice!

[keristor.livejournal.com]

I like it!

(The first line of your post sounds as though it should be a separate blues song *g*...)

[antonia-tiger.livejournal.com]

I woke up this morning with a song in my head.
Yeah, I woke up this morning with a song in my head.
It's a rockin' rhythm record, been poundin' my head all day.
But after ten pints I reckon I'm goin' to pay.

[occams_pyramid]

I'm trying (and failing) to fit it to Hey Mr Spaceman

[the-gwenzilliad.livejournal.com]

This is beautiful! :)

[liadra.livejournal.com]

Nice! I liked very much. I can almost picture the music to it, too. (well, I'm sure it sounds different in my head than yours, but you know what I mean!)

[aunty_marion]

Lovely, and I look forward to hearing it.

[hobbitblue.livejournal.com]

I like that.. want to hear with musics please :)

[starmalachite.livejournal.com]

Lovely! The words remind me very strongly of Windmills by Alan Bell.

(MIDI

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Lovely! The words remind me very strongly of <a href="http://www.guntheranderson.com/v/data/windmill.htm/">Windmills</a> by Alan Bell.

(MIDI <a http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=70805">here</a>, halfway down the page.)

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

That's very lovely.

[catalana.livejournal.com]

Oh nice! I hope to hear it someday.

[mrgoodwraith.livejournal.com]

Excellent. Somehow, as I read its chorus, I want it to transition into "Uplift":

"30 years later...My name is Mervin Oldham, I am coaler, never still..."

"100 years later...My name is Morris Oldham, and computers work my will..."

"300 years later...They call me Martian Oldham, and I captain solar sails..." :-D