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I'M WATCHING ROSANNA

by David Heavenor

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Nick Smith
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kshema
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about

I went travelling a lot in my early twenties and someone told me about this community in Donegal, Ireland which I visited for a couple of months. It fitted the classic pattern of religious groups, being run by a controlling figurehead who dispenses wisdom and blessings on all the seekers who drifted in (like me). Her granddaughter was the only clear light in the swirling psychobabble. I still remember her smile and such a natural joy in simple uncomplicated things. Looking back many years later I wondered whether she had succumbed to the mumbo jumbo or jumped clear as she got older. Her name was Myfanwy but I chickened out using her real name for some reason.

I was going to call the song Black Bible Fate but I'm Watching Myfanwy instead.

'An insightful song....beautifully written and observed. This song is becoming something of a classic over the years. It has been played on the poop deck of the Hesperus since she first set sail...' Iain Anderson.

(The Hesperus has become known as the pet name for Iain Anderson's late night show on BBC Radio Scotland.)

'Gorgeous... I just love this song... ' Cherrie McIlwaine BBC Radio Ulster

lyrics

I'M WATCHING ROSANNA


'Enough of lies ...' she said to me
'I'm going to cast my fate upon this sea
The creaking chapel on the cliff
Is bound by stones that rot and shift'


The howling preacher strokes his hands
Proclaiming dust and dirt and sand
My lifeblood sleeps, my pale skin tight
My dreams embark on sails of light



And I'm watching Rosanna
Walk the steps down by Brendan’s Bay
Watching Rosanna
Walk these hills a hundred different ways


The choirs chant the purple hymns
Black bible fate is what they din
A shadow circles on the street
The house of God the wolf's retreat

Poor lamb of God, forsaken Christ
Love's fire and wisdom fixed in ice
The traveller asked 'What's here being sold?'
A whited sepulchre, bones painted gold


Dive, dive, dive, my girl beloved,
Fly like the falcon, face the flood'


Her body arced, the bright waves curled
Her burnished skin lovely as the world
The chapel doors disgorged a cry
And fists, mad-waving, cut the sky

'She swims the untamed brine' they spat
'How dare she show her naked self like that'
Then Mary's boy rose, silver fish
He laughed, and kissed death dead with love's strong wish

credits

released January 5, 2001
From the album: Winter's Children
Steve Butler: Keyboards, Bass
Charlie Irvine: Acoustic Guitar
David Heavenor: Acoustic Guitar, Vocals

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David Heavenor Edinburgh, UK

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David Heavenor is a Scottish singer songwriter based in Edinburgh Scotland. He has produced 8 albums plus 3 EP's.

I'm Watching Rosanna. ' An insightful song....beautifully written and observed. Iain Anderson. BBC Radio

'Jenny & the Cold Caller. One of the best songs ever written...' Ricky Ross ... more

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