The keys to the forest

from 52 Folk Songs: Blue by Phil Edwards

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lyrics

I live alone in old Carntyne
Where sorrow fills the bars
I walk beside the Firth of Clyde
In winter's lonely hours.

In winter walks I still recall
The love that I let go
I close the door and love no more
I watch the swollen tide flow

- She gave me the keys to the forest,
The keys to the forest,
And then,
She gave me the keys to the forest,
And then the forest was mine.

I met her on the edge of town
Her hand was in her hair
She smiled at me so dangerously
Resistance was laid bare.

I laid her in a wooded glen
Where good men disappear
Her willing hand caressed the land
She left me lying there

- She gave me the keys to the forest...

The forest filled my heart with fear
As I lay there alone
I saw the names of unknown men
Carved in the shining stone

I fell apart in stinging rain
Cold fingers tore at my mind
Inhuman force possessed my source
And left me dumb and blind

- She gave me the keys to the forest...

Yea though I lie in ghostly latrines
My hand in another man's piss
My face is wet on shining stone
I still can feel her kiss

And now the pictures on my wall
Display no sign of life
The branches bare, the dead man's stare
And dried blood on the leaf

credits

from 52 Folk Songs: Blue, released January 19, 2012
By Jackie Leven (1950-2011)

Phil Edwards: voice and zither

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