Wedding Dance

                     Words by Catherine Faber
            Music by Catherine Faber and Arlene Hills


Jenny wouldn't tell me why she lay awake last night
But I saw her wide eyes glisten in the candle's gauzy light
When I felt her body tremble to the pounding of her heart
I reached to touch her shoulder and I heard the music start
I sat right up in bed and flung the window shutter wide
My sister's flesh was icy where she shivered at my side
The chestnut cast a shadow as I'd often seen before
But I saw Jenny's eyes and she saw something more.

Chorus:

     There is something by the chestnut tree that from the barrow
came
     It is singing to my sister, it is courting her by name.
     She says that she must marry him the night he comes again
     I'll be rolled in flour and fried before he'll have our Jen.

The flute's my only sweetheart; if the spirit fey and fell
Thinks that music is his power he may find it's mine as well.
So I told her, "Courage, Jenny, for I think we have a chance.
Though I cannot stop the wedding let me play the wedding dance."
It was an eerie wedding night with no one there to see
A shadow and a shadow and my sister there and me.
And when the words were spoken and the spirit turned away
I lifted flute to lip and I began to play.

Flute interlude

The flute spoke air and dancing, it was all that I could hear
And the starry sky above us made an icy chandelier.
My sister took the hand of someone almost in my view
And drew him half against his will 'til he was dancing too.
Jenny stepped and swirled with the shadow in the gloom
Leading out the dancing as they must as bride and groom
And shadow doubled shadow 'til apparent to my glance
The kinsmen of the groom were come to join the dance.

Chorus

I play the dance for hours, in the melody entwined,
Until Jenny's passing feet are leaving tracks of blood behind.
I see I have accomplished all I hoped I would achieve:
They are captive to the dance and while I play they cannot leave.
But I cannot play forever here beneath the freezing skies;
My hands are made of lead, my hair is hanging in my eyes.
My fingers start to falter and to lose their strength and grace
And the look of terror deepens on my sister's face.

Flute interlude

Chorus

I force my hands to melody, I know I must prevail
For but a dozen minutes now--the sky is growing pale.
The sun puts forth his finger as a soul in terror moans--
And the groom and all the wedding guests are only standing
stones.
Jenny crumples suddenly and all my strength is done
And we laugh and cry together and we bless the rising sun
And turn to eye the barrow for the treasure it may hold.
For Jen's the master's widow, heir to all his gold.

Chorus


Words copyright (c) 1997 by Catherine Faber
Music copyright (c) 1997 by Catherine Faber and Arlene Hills

On UNDER THE GRIPPING BEAST CD, copyright (c) 1997 by Catherine
Faber and Arlene Hills