The Magpies (from To The Horizon)

This sensitive and assured performance is from a series of concerts given by the San Francisco Choral Artists in 2001, titled 'Old Wine in New Bottles'. DOWNLOAD MP3. I am grateful to director Magen Solomon and to the SFCA for their many performances of my work over the years, and for the use of this recording. A link to the SFCA website can be found on the 'To The Horizon' link below.

The Magpies

When Tom and Elizabeth took the farm
The bracken made their bed,
And quardle oodle ardle wardle doodle
The magpies said.

Tom’s hand was strong to the plough,
Elizabeth’s lips were red,
And quardle oodle ardle wardle doodle
The magpies said.

Year in, year out they worked
While the pines grew overhead,
And quardle oodle ardle wardle doodle
The magpies said.

But all the beautiful crops soon went
To the mortgage man instead,
And quardle oodle ardle wardle doodle
The magpies said.

Elizabeth is dead now, it’s years ago,
Old Tom went light in the head,
And quardle oodle ardle wardle doodle
The magpies said.

The farm’s still there, mortgage corporations
Couldn’t give it away,
And quardle oodle ardle wardle doodle
The magpies say.

Denis Glover


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