“Soul of a Harper” lyrics Rie Sheridan Rose, music Marc Gunn
Performed by Brobdingnagian Bards
from Brobdingnagian Fairy Tales
Oh, they say 'tis a hanging
that soon I will be–
My body a-twisting from
yonder oak tree–
For daring to think that a man
could live free…
but though I may die,
'tis a harper I'll be.
The strings of my harp
will never be stilled
while the green of the shamrock
still grows on the hill
for the music of Ireland
is her strength and her will
and the soul of a harper
no mortal can kill.
Oh, the red-headed queen on her
cold golden throne
fears harper freedom
she never has known
Our bright Gaelic passion
comes through in the tone
so she orders it silenced
and broods all alone.
The strings of my harp
will never be stilled
while the green of the shamrock
still grows on the hill
for the music of Ireland
is her strength and her will
and the soul of a harper
no mortal can kill.
For a man of the road,
death holds no sting.
‘Tis another adventure–
a wonderous thing.
And I know that my music
will evermore ring
in the hills and the rivers
of each Irish spring.
The strings of my harp
will never be stilled
while the green of the shamrock
still grows on the hill
for the music of Ireland
is her strength and her will
and the soul of a harper
no mortal can kill.
Chords Key C
[C Dm G C]
[C]Oh, they say 'tis a [Dm]hanging
that [G]soon I will [C]be–
My [Am]body a-twisting from
[C]yonder oak [G]tree–
For [F]daring to [Am]think that a [C]man
could live [G]free…
but [C]though I may [Dm]die,
'tis a [G]harper I'll [C]be.
The [F]strings of my [Am]harp
will [C]never be [G]stilled
while the [F]green of the [Am]shamrock
still [C]grows on the [G]hill
for the [F]music of [Dm]Ireland
is her [Am]strength and her [G]will
and the [C]soul of a [Dm]harper
no [G]mortal can [C]kill.
Background
“Soul of a Harper” was written by my friend Rie Sheridan Rose around 2003. I was also working on my debut solo album. I didn't get a solo recording of the song, but I decided to use her song title to name my first album. Eventually, I set her lyrics to new music and the Brobdingnagian Bards recorded it for our hit album Brobdingnagian Fairy Tales.
It's a beautiful song. It seems to have a life of its own. I still have fans from the Brobdingnagian Bards days who request it. Newer fans find it and are mesmerized by the haunting lyrics. Big kudos to Rie for creating a song that stands the test of time.
“Soul of a Harper” was also the song that started my many songwriting collaborations with Rie over the years.
Watch Soul of a Harper Videos
Please LISTEN and Add “Soul of a Harper” to your Spotify playlist.
Credits
from Brobdingnagian Bards
- Marc Gunn: autoharp, vocals
- Andrew McKee: recorder
