The Islands - Ralph McTell Cover - Songs From The Winter Cabin.

Hey Folks

This is another song from my winter cabin.
This one is a beatifully written folk song
called "The Islands" by Ralph McTell

The reason I think this one has a wintery feel to it is this verse.

"It's midday in the wintertime
Before the moon does pale
The winter songs are very long
The storm winds and the gales
The midnight sun's as distant
As the ca'ing of the whales
Till spring returns again
To paint the islands"

A couple of the ornaments in my cabin made me think it would be a good idea to sing this song.

I have filmed some footage of these nautical themed ornaments and overlaid them onto the video.

Like all good folk songs this one paints powerful images in the minds eye ofthe remote isolated Island life on the western islands of the United Kingdom.

"The Islands"
Ralph McTell

We do not fear the long ships
We've seen long ships before
Men sailed here from the north land
And hauled their boats ashore
They brought with them the music
The language and the lore
And burned their boats and stayed here
On the islands

It's midday in the wintertime
Before the moon does pale
The winter songs are very long
The storm winds and the gales
The midnight sun's as distant
As the ca'ing of the whales
Till spring returns again
To paint the islands

The grey seals and the otter
The salmon and the charr
The land bound and the sea trapped
The free birds of the air
The shepherd and the farmer
And all those in their care
Harmonise the music
Of the islands

We never feared the long ships
Till the coming of the "Braer"
The roaring sea in anger
Beat that broken boat ashore
Spilled fuel enough to take that ship
Twice round the world or more
And filled the air with oil
To paint the islands

As if the sea had realized
The tragedy in store
Her waves continued pounding
About a week or more
Most of the crude was washed away
And never came ashore
The sea regained her temper
'Round the islands

Oh, let this be a warning
To those who's faceless greed
Would sail close to the shoreline
To save both fuel and speed
The sea is our protector
Provider of our needs
A jealous guard and keeper
Of the islands

We do not fear the long ships
We've seen long ships before
Men sailed here from the north land
And hauled their boats ashore
They brought with them the music
The language and the lore
And burned their boats and stayed here
On the islands

They burned their boats and stayed here
On the islands