The Witch of Redbird Hollow

Ray Barbier

Harlan Hamblin

Ray Barbier

psych-folk, dark bluegrass

+ Show full styles

[Verse 1] (Vocals are airy, breathy, and layered with a slight echo) The moon is caught in the sycamore limb The light in the cabin is flickering dim I followed the scent of the hemlock and honey To a place where the dirt isn't bought for no money She’s stirring the pot with a bone from a crow Seeing the things that the living don't know.

[Pre-Chorus] (The mandolin starts a rapid, "glittering" tremolo. The background vocals are a series of high-pitched "woo-ooo" siren calls.) The laurel is moving... The shadows are proving... The woods have an eye... In the roots and the sky!

[Chorus] (The music feels "swirling" and dizzying. It’s not heavy, but it’s deeply psychedelic and "wide.") Oh, dance with the Witch of the Redbird Hollow! Down in the depths where the hounds won't follow! She’ll give you a vision, she’ll give you a curse She’ll show you a world that is better and worse! Yeah, the mountain is shifting, the green is a veil Walking the path of the spirit-man trail!

[Verse 2] (The banjo switches to a "reverse" echo effect. A "drone" of a mountain dulcimer enters, grounding the track in old Appalachian tradition.) I drank from the cup made of cedar and bark And suddenly I could see deep in the dark The trees started walking, the rocks started talking I heard my own ghost in the distance a-mocking! Time isn't straight and the path isn't true When the Redbird is looking right back at you!

[Bridge - The "Spirit-Walk" Jam] (The music dissolves into a "soundscape." The fiddle plays "seagull" sounds (high slides), while the banjo plays a chaotic but melodic roll. It feels like the music is breathing. The jaw harp gets louder and more distorted.) (Vocals - A chant-like whisper) "Redbird... Redbird... Show me the way... Out of the night... Into the gray..."

[Final Chorus] (The instruments come back into a tight, but "trippy" bluegrass groove. It’s hypnotic and driving.) Oh, dance with the Witch of the Redbird Hollow! Down in the depths where the hounds won't follow! She’ll give you a vision, she’ll give you a curse She’ll show you a world that is better and worse!

[Outro] (The instruments fade out one by one. We’re left with just the "twang" of the jaw harp and the sound of wind chimes made of bone.) Don't look back. Don't look down. (Final sound: a single "snap" of a dry twig and a soft, feminine laugh that echoes into nothing.) [End]

2622/7500

[Intro] (Starts with a distorted jaw harp—twang-yo-yo-yo—and a banjo played with heavy "hallway" reverb. A fiddle plays a high, shimmering "harmonic" note that sounds like a whistle. The percussion is a soft, rhythmic rattling of dried gourds.) [Verse 1] (Vocals are airy, breathy, and layered with a slight echo) The moon is caught in the sycamore limb The light in the cabin is flickering dim I followed the scent of the hemlock and honey To a place where the dirt isn't bought for no money She’s stirring the pot with a bone from a crow Seeing the things that the living don't know. [Pre-Chorus] (The mandolin starts a rapid, "glittering" tremolo. The background vocals are a series of high-pitched "woo-ooo" siren calls.) The laurel is moving... The shadows are proving... The woods have an eye... In the roots and the sky! [Chorus] (The music feels "swirling" and dizzying. It’s not heavy, but it’s deeply psychedelic and "wide.") Oh, dance with the Witch of the Redbird Hollow! Down in the depths where the hounds won't follow! She’ll give you a vision, she’ll give you a curse She’ll show you a world that is better and worse! Yeah, the mountain is shifting, the green is a veil Walking the path of the spirit-man trail! [Verse 2] (The banjo switches to a "reverse" echo effect. A "drone" of a mountain dulcimer enters, grounding the track in old Appalachian tradition.) I drank from the cup made of cedar and bark And suddenly I could see deep in the dark The trees started walking, the rocks started talking I heard my own ghost in the distance a-mocking! Time isn't straight and the path isn't true When the Redbird is looking right back at you! [Bridge - The "Spirit-Walk" Jam] (The music dissolves into a "soundscape." The fiddle plays "seagull" sounds (high slides), while the banjo plays a chaotic but melodic roll. It feels like the music is breathing. The jaw harp gets louder and more distorted.) (Vocals - A chant-like whisper) "Redbird... Redbird... Show me the way... Out of the night... Into the gray..." [Final Chorus] (The instruments come back into a tight, but "trippy" bluegrass groove. It’s hypnotic and driving.) Oh, dance with the Witch of the Redbird Hollow! Down in the depths where the hounds won't follow! She’ll give you a vision, she’ll give you a curse She’ll show you a world that is better and worse! [Outro] (The instruments fade out one by one. We’re left with just the "twang" of the jaw harp and the sound of wind chimes made of bone.) Don't look back. Don't look down. (Final sound: a single "snap" of a dry twig and a soft, feminine laugh that echoes into nothing.) [End]

0/500