The One About

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[Verse 1: Newfoundland MC, outport accent, floor toms walking under every bar]
Halloween on the landwash, all the cousins in a ring
Sparks are climbin' off the driftwood and the cold has got a sting
Little ones in rubber boots with marshmallows on sticks
Big ones in the back pretendin' they're too old for tricks
Every year at midnight someone says "Go on, b'y, tell it"
And I lean into the smoke, me son, I never have to sell it
It's a fella on the rocks with a lantern in his fist
Walkin' up the shoreline through the salt and through the mist
You can hear his boots go crunch before you ever see the light
And if that lantern goes out, he's at your fire tonight

[Verse 2: Newfoundland MC, faster, handclaps on two and four, the toms creepin' closer]
This year it's the youngest, Kayleigh, six years old
Pulls my sleeve and asks me "Wade, who told it you? Who told?"
And I open up my mouth to say I made it up myself
And there's nothin' there to say, like a book gone off the shelf
'Cause I never once begun it, not a single year, me son
Somebody past the firelight says "Tell the one," and I just run
Thirty Halloweens I thought that it was Cousin Jim
But Jim's been home in Gander, so the voice was never him
And it's out there by the water where the lantern used to be
Sayin' "Tell 'em the one about," and it's sayin' it to me

[Hook: Newfoundland MC, the whole band stompin', baritone guitar ringin']
Throw a junk on the fire, me son, I'll tell the one about
The man on the landwash with his lantern goin' out
Every year I tell it and the young ones scream and shout
But it's not the one about him, b'y, it's him about to come out

[Verse 3: Newfoundland MC, tense shift, the story slides from past tense into now, floor toms right up at the fire]
He walked along the shoreline with the lantern in his hand
He walked up past the rocks and then he walked across the sand
He's walkin' past the dory, now he's walkin' past the shed
Now the boots go crunch, me son, right behind the young one's head
And the lantern on the landwash, luh, the lantern's goin' out
And the cousins see my face and not a one of them can shout
Kayleigh's on my knee, and I say "Don't you turn around"
So I finish it the way I'm told, and he sets the lantern down
And there's one more at the fire than there was when we come 'round

[Hook: Newfoundland MC and the full band, everything in]
Throw a junk on the fire, me son, I'll tell the one about
The man on the landwash with his lantern goin' out
Every year I tell it and the young ones scream and shout
But it's not the one about him, b'y, it's him about to come out
[End]

2938/7500

[Hook: Newfoundland-accented male MC, thick outport accent, stomping floor toms and baritone guitar] Throw a junk on the fire, me son, I'll tell the one about The man on the landwash with his lantern goin' out Every year I tell it and the young ones scream and shout But it's not the one about him, b'y, it's him about to come out [Verse 1: Newfoundland MC, outport accent, floor toms walking under every bar] Halloween on the landwash, all the cousins in a ring Sparks are climbin' off the driftwood and the cold has got a sting Little ones in rubber boots with marshmallows on sticks Big ones in the back pretendin' they're too old for tricks Every year at midnight someone says "Go on, b'y, tell it" And I lean into the smoke, me son, I never have to sell it It's a fella on the rocks with a lantern in his fist Walkin' up the shoreline through the salt and through the mist You can hear his boots go crunch before you ever see the light And if that lantern goes out, he's at your fire tonight [Verse 2: Newfoundland MC, faster, handclaps on two and four, the toms creepin' closer] This year it's the youngest, Kayleigh, six years old Pulls my sleeve and asks me "Wade, who told it you? Who told?" And I open up my mouth to say I made it up myself And there's nothin' there to say, like a book gone off the shelf 'Cause I never once begun it, not a single year, me son Somebody past the firelight says "Tell the one," and I just run Thirty Halloweens I thought that it was Cousin Jim But Jim's been home in Gander, so the voice was never him And it's out there by the water where the lantern used to be Sayin' "Tell 'em the one about," and it's sayin' it to me [Hook: Newfoundland MC, the whole band stompin', baritone guitar ringin'] Throw a junk on the fire, me son, I'll tell the one about The man on the landwash with his lantern goin' out Every year I tell it and the young ones scream and shout But it's not the one about him, b'y, it's him about to come out [Verse 3: Newfoundland MC, tense shift, the story slides from past tense into now, floor toms right up at the fire] He walked along the shoreline with the lantern in his hand He walked up past the rocks and then he walked across the sand He's walkin' past the dory, now he's walkin' past the shed Now the boots go crunch, me son, right behind the young one's head And the lantern on the landwash, luh, the lantern's goin' out And the cousins see my face and not a one of them can shout Kayleigh's on my knee, and I say "Don't you turn around" So I finish it the way I'm told, and he sets the lantern down And there's one more at the fire than there was when we come 'round [Hook: Newfoundland MC and the full band, everything in] Throw a junk on the fire, me son, I'll tell the one about The man on the landwash with his lantern goin' out Every year I tell it and the young ones scream and shout But it's not the one about him, b'y, it's him about to come out [End]

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