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Two Blind Mice

by Loreley

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    Physical copy of "Two Blind Mice", our debut EP/demo. Comes in printed card sleeve with both disc and information booklet inside. Only 4 "first edition" copies remaining with the original unedited sleeve text, hurry while stocks last!

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1.
Gilderoy 03:30
Alas the dread hour is come To bear my love from me I hear the doom of the drum To mark the fatal tree The bell has tolled it shakes my heart The trumpet speaks thy name And must my Gilderoy depart To bear a death of shame No bosom trembles for thy doom No mourner wipes a tear The gallows' foot is all they tomb The sledge is all thy bier Oh Gilderoy I bethought we then So soon, so sad to part When first in Roslin's lovely glen You triumphed o'er my heart? Your locks they glittered to the sheen Your hunter garb was trim And graceful was the ribbon green That bound your many limb Little thought I do deplore Those limbs in fetters bound Or hear upon the scaffold floor The midnight hammer sound Ye cruel, cruel, that combined The guiltless to pursue My Gilderoy was ever kind He could not injure you A long adieu but where shall fly Thy widow all forlorn When every mean and man’s cruel eye Regards my woe with scorn? Yes they mock thy widow's tears And hate thine orphan boy And now infant beauty wears The form of Gilderoy Then will I seek the dreary mound That wraps thy mouldering clay And weep and linger on the ground And sigh my heart away No bosom trembles for thy doom No mourner wipes a tear The gallows' foot is all they tomb The sledge is all thy bier Oh Gilderoy I bethought we then So soon, so sad to part When first in Roslin's lovely glen You triumphed o'er my heart?
2.
"How will you go by sea?" Said the knight on the road "With a good boat under me" Said the child as he stood He stood as he stood and for better he said I go by sea "How will you go by land?" Said the knight on the road "With a good staff in my hand" Said the child as he stood He stood as he stood and for better he said I go by land "I think I hear a bell" Said the knight on the road "It's ringing you down to hell" Said the child as he stood He stood as he stood and for better he said Down to hell "How will you go by sea?" Said the knight on the road "With a good boat under me" Said the child as he stood
3.
Though better minstrels far than I May strike the quivering string And bards more worthy of the theme Thy praises loud shall sing Though I a wandering harper blind With sightless upturned eye My harp and voice to honour Wales My feeble strains to try My voice upraised to wild swept chords I sing thy fertile dales Thy frowning mountains, rushing streams, And all that makes thee Wales All these I love and all have seen Though gone now is my sight I can but feel the breezes play Though all the rest is night And even yet if ye'll but list To my old harp's best note I'll sing to you my country's deeds And all my songs devote Now guided by my faithful hound I stray from door to door And tell how Wales has fought and bled And tales of all time lore
4.
Pretty Polly 03:56
Pretty Polly, Pretty Polly, come along with me Before we get married, some pleasure to see Pretty Polly, Pretty Polly, come along with me Pretty Polly, Pretty Polly, come along with me He led her over hill and valley so deep At last Pretty Polly began to weep He led her over hill and valley so deep He led her over hill and valley so deep Willy, oh Willy, I’m afraid of your way I’m afraid you are leading my body astray Willy, oh Willy, I’m afraid of your way Willy, oh Willy, I’m afraid of your way Polly, oh Polly, you've guessed just right I dug your grave the biggest part of last night Polly, oh Polly, you’ve guessed just right Polly, oh Polly, you’ve guessed just right Go a little further and you will spy Your grave ready dug and a spade lying by Go a little further and you will spy Go a little further and you will spy She went a little further and she did spy Her grave ready dug with a spade lying by She went a little further and she did spy She went a little further and she did spy She threw her arms round and suffered no fear “Could you kill a poor girl who loves you so dear?” She threw her arms round and suffered no fear She threw her arms round and suffered no fear “Pretty Polly, Pretty Polly, no time for to stand” Holding his knife all in his right hand “Pretty Polly, Pretty Polly, no time for to stand” “Pretty Polly, Pretty Polly, no time for to stand” He pierced it through her heart, her blood it did flow And into the grave her poor body did go He threw the sod over and turned to go home No one left behind, but the little girl to morn He pierced it through her heart, and her blood it did flow And into the grave her poor body did go He threw the sod over and turned to go home He threw the sod over and turned to go home Walking fast, walking fast, he got there before light Went a'raving distracted and died the same night Walking fast, walking fast, he got there before light Good old Willy he died that night Pretty Polly, Pretty Polly, come along with me Before we get married, some pleasure to see Pretty Polly, Pretty Polly, come along with me Pretty Polly, Pretty Polly, come along with me
5.
Here I dream of the old grey tree Sticks so bare and woe is me Oft times in the night I sigh "Where is the queen of the night" I cry? Silks and satins does she wear Gold and diamonds in her hair She is queen of the night so fair So fair Circle of frost in the autumn sky See the blackbird oh so shy To the hell of heaven I go There is no peace in the ground Below Silks and satins does she wear Gold and diamonds in her hair She is queen of the night so fair She has charmed and torn my soul Raged the fire with burning coal I care not if I live or die Where is the queen of the night I cry Silks and satins does she wear Gold and diamonds in her hair She is queen of the night so fair Give me a shroud of darkest hue Ten strong men of noble brood Set them each with a silver spade And dig for me the deepest grave Silks and satins does she wear Gold and diamonds in her hair She is queen of the night So fair

about

Our first EP. It's more of a demo, really, but we're proud of it. After we decided to form the duo, "Gilderoy" was the first folk song we arranged that we thought was really working. The next to come was "The Blind Harper" which Maddy found and came up with a tune for; Simon then composed the guitar parts and bang, we had two working songs.

"The Old Grey Tree" came next; it should probably be called "Queen of the Night", but the book we found it in didn't have a name for it at all so the working title simply stuck. When Simon finished composing it he played it for Maddy and we immediately realised that we had a hit. "Gravedigger's Dance/Go By Sea" followed in succession a few weeks later, and it became a staple song of our live performances (and still is).

The final song was to be an Irish one called "Tim O'Galway", but it simply wasn't working and when "Pretty Polly" was composed we both preferred it, despite how much of a pain it can be.

We initially wanted eight songs, but after a whole day in the studio we simply ran out of time if we wanted any sort of mixing and mastering done, which we hastily did in about two hours. So if enough copies of this are sold for us to be able to afford another studio afternoon, we can probably get "Morgan Road", "Poor Wayfaring Stranger", and "The White Hare" (a Seth Lakeman cover) down. Or even better, an entirely new album with the new songs we're working on at the minute.

We wanted it to sound as live as possible, so here it is, with as minimal editing as we could, plus a bit of reverb. It will be launched with an official party on 12th March 2015, at The Retreat Pub, in Reading, UK. Come and see us live with Wolfe Sunday and The Curious Sounds!

credits

released March 1, 2015

Loreley are:
Maddy Glenn - vocals, percussion
Simon James Chisholm - mandolin, guitar, backing vocals, percussion in "Gilderoy"

All lyrics traditional and arranged by Maddy Glenn and Simon James Chisholm
All music composed by Simon James Chisholm
All songs recorded at Silver Street Studios, Reading, UK, February 2015
Booklet front cover photograph by Sam Hardy Photography
CD cover and booklet design by Ioulia Zoukova
Booklet text by Simon James Chisholm

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Loreley Reading, UK

Sheffield-based duo pairing traditional folk lyrics to modern musical arrangements. Third album, "The Frozen North", released March 2017.

Take a look at our Facebook (www.facebook.com/LoreleyDuo) for news and tour schedule.
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