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Horsetail

from Sketchbook by Helen Bell

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about

Eventually I'm going to make a full arrangement of this song with more instruments, but here is a version with just voice and viola, which will live in the Sketchbook of Ephemera for now.

Equisetum or Horsetail (also commonly but incorrectly called mare's tail, including by me until recently, but it turns out that's actually a different plant entirely) is the only surviving genus of a family of plants that dates back hundreds of millions of years. These plants are described as living fossils, terrible invasive weeds, or a useful source of materials for organic fungicide, depending on who you ask. I've got a patch of them in my garden and I'm quite happy for them to live there.

The song is about extinction, collapse, love, friendship, and resilience, all mixed together and at the same time.

lyrics

Away from the floodlight and over the line
We saw it all, tenderly, but far more bright and raw this time
And once again, we must end where we begin
And once again, we will be continuing

In this same valley in a million years
Two other aching creatures will see the horsetail growing here
In a yet unspoken language they will say
‘That’s the one that used to grow in dinosaur days’

And horsetail won’t be its name any more
And this time we will be the dinosaurs

And they will wrap themselves around each other so tight
In heavy wanting, in protection from the changing of the light
And a part of each of them will hold strong
And a part of each of them will breathe long

And still a part of each of them will be shaking
As the quiet air around them keeps folding and quaking

Away from the floodlight and over the line
We saw it all, tenderly, but far more bright and raw this time
And once again, we must end where we begin
And once again, we will be continuing

And a part of each of us might be shaking
As the quiet air around us keeps folding and quaking
And still a part of each of us might be shaking
As the quiet air around us keeps folding and quaking

credits

from Sketchbook, released December 18, 2012
Helen Bell: voice, viola

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Helen Bell UK

Prog/folk/pop singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist specialising in viola and keyboard instruments.

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