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Longfellow's famous poem is here set to two traditional Revolutionary-era tunes, The mournful Dying Redcoat and the valiant The World Turned Upside Down. The contrast suits the moods of the poem. It is incredibly tightly written, not a word wasted, and varies the stanza length to suit the tale. It was fascinating to set this one to music.
lyrics
Listen my children, and you shall hear Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five; Hardly a man is now alive
Hardly a man is now alive Who remembers that famous day and year.
He said to his friend, "If the British march By land or sea from the town to-night,
Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch Of the North Church tower as a signal light,—
One, if by land, and two, if by sea; And I on the opposite shore will be,
Ready to ride and spread the alarm Through every Middlesex village and farm,
For the country folk to be up and to arm."
Then he said "Good-night!" and with muffled oar Silently rowed to the Charlestown shore,
Just as the moon rose over the bay, Where swinging wide at her moorings lay
The Somerset, British man-of-war; A phantom ship, with each mast and spar
Across the moon like a prison bar, And a huge black hulk, that was magnified
By its own reflection in the tide. Meanwhile, impatient to mount and ride,
Booted and spurred, with a heavy stride On the opposite shore walked Paul Revere.
Now he patted his horse's side, Now he gazed at the landscape far and near,
Then, impetuous, stamped the earth, And turned and tightened his saddle girth;
But mostly he watched with eager search The belfry tower of the Old North Church,
As it rose above the graves on the hill, Lonely and spectral and sombre and still.
And lo! as he looks, on the belfry's height A glimmer, and then a gleam of light!
He springs to the saddle, the bridle he turns, But lingers and gazes, till full on his sight
One, if by land, and two, if by sea! A second lamp in the belfry burns.
A hurry of hoofs in a village street, A shape in the moonlight, a bulk in the dark,
And beneath, from the pebbles, in passing, a spark Struck out by a steed flying fearless and fleet:
That was all! And yet, through the gloom and the light, The fate of a nation was riding that night;
And the spark struck out by that steed, in his flight, Kindled the land into flame with its heat.
It was twelve by the village clock When he crossed the bridge into Medford town.
He heard the crowing of the cock, As he crossed the bridge into Medford town.
He heard the crowing of the cock, And the barking of the farmer's dog,
And felt the damp of the river fog, That rises after the sun goes down.
It was one by the village clock, When he galloped into Lexington.
He saw the gilded weathercock Swim in the moonlight as he passed,
Meetinghouse windows, blank and bare, Gaze at him with a spectral glare,
As if they already stood aghast At the bloody work they would look upon.
It was two by the village clock, When he came to the bridge in Concord town.
He felt the breath of the morning breeze Blowing over the meadow brown.
And one was safe and asleep in his bed Who at the bridge would be first to fall,
Who that day would be lying dead, Pierced by a British musket ball.
You know the rest. In the books you have read How the British Regulars fired and fled,
How the farmers gave them ball for ball, From behind each fence and farmyard wall,
Chasing the red-coats down the lane, Then crossing the fields to emerge again
Under the trees at the turn of the road, And only pausing to fire and load.
So through the night rode Paul Revere; And so through the night went his cry of alarm
To every Middlesex village and farm,—A cry of defiance, and not of fear,
A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door, And a word that shall echo forevermore!
For, borne on the night-wind of the Past, Through all our history, to the last,
In the hour of darkness and peril and need, The people will waken and listen to hear
The hurrying hoof beats of that steed, And the midnight message of Paul Revere.
credits
from Set to the Music,
released July 24, 2021
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow arr. Lynn Noel (air trad.)
Lynn Noel brings traditional song and heritage arts online to create community. Lynn has a voice of striking clarity and
power, equally at home in rhythmic chanteys and flowing ballads.
Lynn is a respected song session leader on both sides of the Atlantic and the producer and host of the Mermaid's Tavern online folk club. She is currently Program Chair of the New England Folk Festival (NEFFA)....more
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