From: lilleyc@cs.man.ac.uk (Chris Lilley)
Newsgroups: alt.pagan
Subject: Re: Name this song, please.
Date: 7 Apr 92 19:52:05 GMT
Reply-To: lilleyc@cs.man.ac.uk (Chris Lilley)
Organization: Department of Computer Science, University of Manchester UK

In article <911414p.32@ace.acadiau.ca> 911414p@ace.acadiau.ca (PIOTR CEZARY  PROSZYNSKI) writes:

> Hello out there, fellow netters!

>  Can somebody help me ?

> A few months ago I was taping a CBC (Canadian)
>radio-show; it so happened that I didn't listen to the tape for a while, 
>but when I did I discovered that I accidentaly (or not) recorded an 
>incredible pagan song, the best I have heard in a long time....

>  Unfortunately the song was maimed: the beginning was cut off,
>static - overwhelming; I _had_ to track down a good copy....but - I didn't 
>have it's title, the name of the performer or the slightest idea as to where 
>to look for it!

>  If you know any of the above - help.If you have the words - post them.

>  Here's what I can tell you:
>the song is sung by a man backed by a number of females; the melody is 
>simple, so's the orchestration; 

I know of two versions; but neither sounds like the one you mention.

a) by the yorkshire (uk) group Artizan, comprising two women and one man,
singing in harmony (acapella - is that the right word) with no
accompaniment (Hey I just listen to it, I don't know all the posh jargon
  :) ) sorry don't remember the albums name but it was 1990-91 as I saw
them doing songs from it in 1991. 

b) by the irish singer Christy Moore, sung with bodhran and synthy backing
in a strong irish accent. The album is "Smoke and Strong Whiskey' and is on
Newberry records (CM0002/4)

>the lyrics are about Mother Goddess-worship
>and/or witchcraft. One stanza (the one clearest through the static) runs 
>more or less like this:

> CHORUS: Isis Astarte Diana Hecate Demeter Kali Inanna
>
>   -There were those who came to power through domination
>    and they were [bonded?] in their worship of a dead man on a cross
>    They sought control of the common people
>    by the [.. ?.. ] alligance to the Church of Rome
>
>    And the pope declared the Inquisition
>    it was a war against women whose power they feared
>    In this Holocaust against [ ....... ?]
>    9 million European women died
>    
>    And the tale is told of those who by the hundreds
>    holding together chose their deaths in the sea
>    While chanting the praises of the Mother Goddess
>    A refusal [....?....] dying to be free.
>     
>Anyway, if you know the song all this should be more than enough to 
>recognize it; and if you do recognize it, please please please mail me or 
>post the info in this group.
>
>                      Thank you in advance - PCP
>                      ( 911414p@ace.acadiau.ca) 

OK, and bear in mind this is from memory and without a handy casette
player!

Chorus: 
        Isis Asarte Diana Hecate Demeter Kali Innana
        Isis Asarte Diana Hecate Demeter Kali Innana
(chanted) - this appears in the back of Spiral Dance as I remember

In the cool of the evening, they used to gather
'neath the stars in the meadow circled near an old oak tree
at the times appointed
by the seasons of the earth, and the phases of the moon

in the centre, often stood a woman
equal with the others and respected for her worth
one of the many we call the witches
the healers and the teachers of the wisdom of the earth

and the people grew in the knowlege she gave them
herbs to heal their bodies, spells to make their spirits whole
hear them chanting, healing incantations
calling forth the wise ones, celebrating in dance and song

        Isis Asarte Diana Hecate Demeter Kali Innana
        Isis Asarte Diana Hecate Demeter Kali Innana


there were those who came to power, through domination
they were bonded in their worship to a dead man on a cross
they sought control of the common people
by demanding allegiance, to the church of rome

and the pope declared the inquisition
it was a war against the women whose power they feared
in that holocaust against the nature people
nine million european women died

and the tales are told of those who, by the hundred
holding together sought their deaths in the sea, while
chanting the praises of the mother goddess
in a refusal of betrayal, women were dying to be free

        Isis Asarte Diana Hecate Demeter Kali Innana
        Isis Asarte Diana Hecate Demeter Kali Innana

now the earth is a witch! and we still burn her
stripping her down with our mining and the poisons of our wars
but to us, the earth is a healer, a teacher, a mother
she's the weaver of the web of life that keeps us all alive
she gives us the vision to see through the chaos
she gives us the courage and the will to survive

        Isis Asarte Diana Hecate Demeter Kali Innana
        Isis Asarte Diana Hecate Demeter Kali Innana
        Isis Asarte Diana Hecate Demeter Kali Innana
        Isis Asarte Diana Hecate Demeter Kali Innana

------------------------------oOo----------------------------

Notes

This is the version I have heard sung and is closer to the Artizan version.
Christy Moore I suspect heard it rather than read it, so has 'smells' for
'spells'; the goddess chant is also a bit different but that could just be
the accent. He also has 'courage, it is our will to survive' in the last
line. I have heard it sung by radical/rabid feminists as 'the men still
burn her' and with 'their' for 'our', putting the blame for spoiling the
earth on (all) men and by implication assinging goddess awareness and
eco-freinflyness to (all) women; while there is some merit in this approach
I find it personally insulting and sexist. Also we all, male and female,
contribute to the destruction of the earth so I find the verses both more
accurate and more sobering as I have written them.

As for the tune, well I was humming it to help me get the words down but
the voice mail option on my VAXstation requires the next version of
Motif... <grin>

Hope this was some help. Oh btw there is a complementary version with
different lyrics and a God chant that I heard once. It sounded great at the
time but when written out it didn't scan so well...if anyone has the lyrics
they were given to the craft as a gift, so the author told me (sorry I
forget her name except it had raven in it).

	Chris