Reindeer on the Western Wind

[INTRO low Mongolian male throat-singing drone and overtones, soft horsehead-fiddle style line, then Cornish guitar and bodhrán groove join, tin whistle hints at chorus melody, no lead vocal yet] [VERSE 1 female lead with Cornish lilt over guitar, bass and light bodhrán, throat-singing drone very low in background] East wind howling round the harbour wall Lanterns swinging where the black waves fall Kids keep watch where the quay lights end For a sleigh they’re certain rides the wind [PRE-CHORUS bodhrán and fiddle lift, throat choir swells a little, one high female “ahh” above] From the far cold lands where the great herds run Comes a sound like hooves in the setting sun [CHORUS full band; female lead front and centre, male throat-singing as low rhythmic drone, tin whistle doubles hook, a few high female steppe-style cries between lines] Hear that low, low thunder roll Reindeer on the western wind Santa’s riding over sea and shoal To the lights of the town we’re in From the frozen steppe to the Cornish shore Through the night where the worlds feel thinned Hooves like drums at the old front door Reindeer on the western wind [INSTRUMENTAL BREAK fiddle and whistle trade the chorus melody while Mongolian throat-singing choir pulses underneath, one high female sustained note floating above like cold air] [VERSE 2 back to lighter texture; guitar, fiddle, soft drone] Gran stirs spice in the copper pot Dad checks lines at the old boat’s knot Kids draw antlers in the window steam Say “I heard him breathing in the beam” [PRE-CHORUS same lift, throat choir and one soaring female “oh” like steppe long-song] Maybe out beyond where the dark seas end He’s a shadow riding every northern wind [CHORUS repeat main chorus, slightly bigger; more throat-singing and high female ornaments between phrases, same words] Hear that low, low thunder roll Reindeer on the western wind Santa’s riding over sea and shoal To the lights of the town we’re in From the frozen steppe to the Cornish shore Through the night where the worlds feel thinned Hooves like drums at the old front door Reindeer on the western wind [BRIDGE music drops to guitar and quiet drone, female voice almost a whisper, one distant throat-sung note like the wind] If you listen when the tide pulls back Past the gulls and the harbour’s crack You might hear hooves on the star-lit skin Of a sky where strangers and neighbours meet within [FINAL CHORUS biggest section; full band, strong throat-singing choir underneath, female lead plus a few high steppe-style cries on the bar ends, same lyrics as main chorus] Hear that low, low thunder roll Reindeer on the western wind Santa’s riding over sea and shoal To the lights of the town we’re in From the frozen steppe to the Cornish shore Through the night where the worlds feel thinned Hooves like drums at the old front door Reindeer on the western wind [OUTRO throat-singing drone and horsehead-fiddle style line slowly take over as Cornish instruments fade, one last high female sustained note, then everything falls to silence]