The bitter sweet sound of 'Weather-Beaten Soul'. Songs shaped by the elements.

3 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Acoustic, POP: Folky Pop



Details:
Many moons ago, in a land far from sight and imagination, a small river once sprang. Soaring, high above craggy peaks and blasted rocks the little river was born, deep within a vast mountain, released and sent gushing headlong into the dark abyss.

Desolate was this land - harsh and unforgiving, cold, icy and quite devoid of all colour and music. Blacks, whites and greys described the inhospitable peaks in stark monochrome. Clouds scudded across the torn sky, revealing the starry, bleak night.

Unable to make much sense of his surroundings, the river made his way down the mountain until he came upon a small hollow where a tiny monochrome boy was sitting. As the river slowly filled the dip, he talked to the boy about the grey land. The monochrome boy raised his deep, black eyes and said âit has always been like this but sometimes, on a clear night, as I gaze up at the pure white stars in the dark sky, I dream of fantastic colours and music. I dream of golden flutes and silver bells, red flowers and aqua-blue violins, purple oceans and rich brown earth, lush green melodies and yellow sunshine.â

Sadly did the river carry on filling up the little hollow, until he was almost the size of a pond. The little monochrome boy noticed that the river appeared to be crying, âWhat is wrongâ, he asked?

âWellâ¦â said the river, âever since the old mountain threw me out of his rocks, my life has been full of pain and torment. I have leapt off sharp cliffs, tunnelled through living rock, found terrible ways through ancient caverns and now I am here, stuck in a hollow, amongst the slate rocks and drab skies. My life is such a struggle! The weather has beaten my soul.â

âNonsense!â said the little boy. âYour life has been exactly as it should have been. You have achieved many great things. The weather has shaped your soul. Look how far you have come. The old grey mountain is far off, and here you sit, in front of me in a hollow. I have been waiting for you. For in my dreams, I dreamt of a river. We would meet and I would show him the way to the land of multicoloured melodies. We have known each other since before time and will dance forevermore. Besides which, have you taken a look at yourself recently? You are not grey, or black or white. You are clear and sparkling like the sky at night. You have the ability to reflect all colours, all dreams. You can go and be whoever you want to beâ.

The little river, which had become rather a large pool by now, looked upon himself and saw the rocks beneath. For the first time in his life he noticed what he really was. Clear and pure, reflective and light. Love welled up in his heart and he knew the little boy at last. âI remember youâ he said. âYou dreamt me into existence. But still we are stuck here, in this hollow and I do not know the way to goâ.

With a secret little smile in his eyes, the small monochrome boy looked deep into the pool. âThere is one thing I have not told you little river. When I dream at night of colours and songs, of possibilities and futures, I can see the glow of the rainbow on the horizon. I have been sitting here waiting for you that we may both travel together; forwards in search of our dreams. You and I are endless and can achieve anything. Look again, little riverâ. This time, as the river looked inwards, he saw that he had become a sparkling lake, filling the hollow, spilling over the edge. The monochrome boy jumped into a boat he had made of grey straw and black feathers and off they sailed.

Many days passed until finally, they left the mountains and the little river took heart. Suddenly, he gave a start and a gurgle as something flashed within him. âWhat was that?â he asked. Again it happened, little silver flashes of light, darting to and fro, up and down. âThey are fish!â the boy shouted with glee. As he laughed, small specks of golden light burst out of his eyes in time to his chuckles. âLookâ said the boy, âthe colours I dreamed ofâ. With every new colour they encountered, was a new sound. They dreamed and sang, meandering left and right, taking whatever path they chose. Where the river flowed through the land, it brought life and colour, sound and music.

After what seemed like an eternity, the little river was not so little anymore and the monochrome boy was filled with the multicoloured rainbow light that he had always dreamt of. They had reached a vast ocean surrounded by thousands of rivers and thousands of children. âWe are not aloneâ said the river. âNo indeed.â said the boy. âIt is time to join all the other colours and songs and dreams,â and with that, they leapt into the vast foreverness, weaving their music into a multi-hued symphonyâ¦

The bitter-sweet sound of weather-beaten soul. Songs shaped by the elements.