Out of the Mothballs! 'Carry Me Away' song by Cindy L Spear and Colin Mold

There are times when we write something and then put it away for a while. I wrote this lyric back in 2007, revised it in 2010 and then gave it to one of my music composer friends, Colin Mold. He put music to it between 2011-12. It did not end up on a CD at that time. But it was retrieved again in 2017 with more music composition changes. Once again it was set aside. Sometimes the editing process is like that. You need to put a creative piece in the drawer and let your mind rest. Both Colin and I forgot about it, in the midst of many other writing projects, but the little song squeaked one day as I was cleaning out some files. I listened to it again and my heart leapt! I contacted Colin and we both felt it was time to send it out into the world.

The song is about many things but particularly my love for Ireland. It is ‘the Highland of my dreams’ and that never changes. During past visits to my ancestral homeland, I often sat in the fields, on the cliffs, inside ruins and old castles surrounded by centuries of breathing, living history and was profoundly inspired. The voices, the scents, the beauty, the spirit of the place clung to my soul and ‘carried me away’ to great realms of the imagination.

This song mentions Ravens. This bird represents many things in various cultures. Some people consider them good and others think they are bad. But they are highly intelligent, flexible, adaptable birds with a beautiful wing span. Though sometimes seen in folklore as a curse and other times a blessing, I choose to see this glorious creature in its more positive light. For ravens were once protectors of prophets. They fed Elijah in the wilderness and helped Saint Cuthbert of Lindisfarne. For this song they are asked to carry me away to a place I love—the great Emerald Isle— a place of beauty, rich Celtic history and where my creative spirit can be inspired and refreshed.

CARRY ME AWAY

As lightning fills a blistered sky

An open hand reaches for mine

I hear the heartbeat of each soul

The wild and gentle letting go

 

Above the steady oak that sways

Soft stars explode in rippling waves

You are the message on the wind

The mystery of the raven

 

Carry me away, again

Upon the power of your wings 

Carry me away, again

To the Highland of my dreams

 

The thistle and the rose align

Upon the hills they spread like vines

No worries of a summer storm

Only beauty among the thorns

 

I watch the land reveal its strength

Of how it turns and never waits

I cannot help but long to be

Far from the troubles binding me

 

Carry me away, again

Upon the power of your wings 

Carry me away, again

To the Highland of my dreams

To the calming skies and sea

Where the earth drinks in the light

And the shadows slip away

As the Celtic heart ignites.

Cindy L Spear  copyright 2007 & 2021

IRELAND