Ashes

"Ashes" is the sixth track on the 2020 album Cures What Ails Ya. It was written by Robbie Sattin and, as such, is a  Longest Johns Original. It follows a long and storied tradition of UK folk songs calling for gathering and unity, wrapped in themes of memory and mourning. If you like Ashes, you should check out the works of famed folk singer Dick Gaughan, as the themes and tune are very reminiscent of Gaughan's work.

About the inspiration of the song, paraphrasing Robbie:

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> Ashes is about how sometimes people expect folk music to have a certain role, and the fact that rather than trying to keep a phenomena (like folk music) alive, they would rather worship the ashes of it until it's dead and gone.
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## Lyrics

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> Watch that old fire as it flickers and dies,
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> That once blessed the household and lit up our lives.
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> It shone for the friends and the clinking of glasses.
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> I'll tend to the flame; you can worship the ashes.
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> Capture the wild things and bring them in line
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> And own what was never your right to confine.
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> The lives and the loves and the songs are what matters.
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> I'll tend to the flame; you can worship the ashes.
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> Do you feel heavy? Your eyes drop with grief.
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> Your spirit is wild and your suffering is brief.
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> So never you buckle and bend to the masses.
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> I'll tend to the flame; you can worship the ashes.
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> Get round the fire with a glass of strong ale
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> And tell us a story from beyond the pale.
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> Bury some seeds and expect some strong branches.
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> I'll tend to the flame; you can worship the ashes.
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> Now show me a man that can meet all his needs,
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> For what we need most now is unity's seed:
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> A common old song for all creeds and all classes.
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> I'll tend to the flame; you can worship the ashes.
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> I'll tend to the flame...
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> What will we do when the world it is ending,
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> And time it is halted for friend and for foe?
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> Try to hold on to the time as it passes.
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> I'll tend to the flame; you can worship the ashes.
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> I'll tend to the flame; you can worship the ashes.
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> I'll tend to the flame; you can worship the ashes.
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## Recordings

#### Streaming/Purchase

* Amazon Music (Cures What Ails Ya version)
* Amazon Music (Commodore 1864 version)
* Apple Music/iTunes (Cures What Ails Ya version)
* Apple Music/iTunes (Commodore 1864 version)
* Bandcamp (Cures What Ails Ya version)
* Deezer (Cures What Ails Ya version)
* Deezer (Commodore 1864 version)
* Pandora (Cures What Ails Ya version)
* Pandora (Commodore 1864 version)
* Spotify (Cures What Ails Ya version)
* Spotify (Chiptune version)

#### Youtube Videos

* Cures What Ails Ya version
* Commodore 1864 version

#### Gig Videos

* Shrewsbury Folk Festival (28 Aug 2021)
* The Studio at the Factory - Dallas, TX (23 Nov 2022)
* Jimmy's - Liverpool (9 Dec 2022)
* Kraków, Poland (26 Feb 2023)
* Cursus Festival (26 May 2023)
* Beardy Folk Festival (16 Jun 2023)

#### Full Band Streams

* Album Launch Party! Cures What Ails Ya, Available June 10th (Preorder Now) (10 Jun 2020)
* Welcome to the Live Stream, We've got Fun and Sings! (22 Jul 2020)
* We Built This Stream(y) on Shant and Folk (11 Nov 2020)
* I Stream, You Stream, We all Scream for Live Stream (20 Jan 2021)
* Sweet Streams are Made of This (17 Mar 2021)
* Stream If You Wanna Go Faster (12 May 2021)
* Nice Stream Sundae (Wednesday) (1 Sep 2021)
* It's The Most Wonderful Stream of the Year (22 Dec 2021)
* Exstream Close-up (31 May 2022)
* Blue Stream of Death! (29 Jun 2022)
* In Space No One Can Hear You Stream (19 Oct 2022)
* Big Announcement Stream (22 Nov 2023)

#### Gaming Streams

* Sing & Sail & Kegs me Skellyboys! - 15/06/2020
* Sea of Thieves Tall Tales Marathon for Charity: Part 1 (29 Jun 2020)
* Sea of Thieves Tall Tales Marathon for Charity: Part 2 (29 Jun 2020)
* Sea of Sings on a Monday afternoon, oh what a splendid sight to see - 29/06/2020
* Sea of Sings. Tonight we hit the high C's... - 10/07/2020
* Sea of Sings. Tonight we sink to the low C's... - 13/07/2020
* Sea of Sings! Let's get boaty! - 20/07/2020
* Musical larceny on the big blue wet thing - 10/08/2020
* Hoist Up The Thing! - 14/08/2020
* I like big boats and I cannot lie - 17/08/2020
* Boat! Boat! Boat! Boat! Boat! - 21/08/2020
* Sea of Sings, Arena edition! w/ KHARITES\_ & xSHUMBAx - 24/08/2020
* 4 Sloops 4 Furious - 04/09/2020 Stream Full VOD
* Super Monday Afternoon Singing Time On The Sea! - 07/09/2020
* Musical larceny on the big blue wet thing - 14/09/2020
* Anyone for a Shanty? | Sea of Thieves Singing Live Stream!! (Part 1) (23 Sep 2020)
* Sea of Sings! - 05/10/2020
* Sea of Thieves? Singing? Splendid! - 09/10/2020
* DROPS! Sea of Sings! with BehavingBeardly! SHANT! - 30/10/2020
* Sea of Sings! with AsylumGC8! SHANT! - 31/10/2020
* Sea of Sings! with Captain\_Falcore! SHANT! - 2/11/2020
* Sea of Joviality with KroTukk and KHARITES\_ - 28/11/2020
* Sea of Hijinks with Freyline - 29/11/2020
* Sea of Good Tidings - 30/11/2020
* Let's do pirate stuff - 12/12/2020
* Let's get splashy - 18/12/2020
* Sea of Sings! Pirate malarkey afoot! - 15/01/2021
* Virtual Pirate Concert with Krotukk - 16/01/2021
* Sea of Sings! Seasons or something! - 29/01/2021
* Sea of Sings! Boats and stuff! - 15/02/2021
* Giveaway giveaways - Let's get in the sea - 01/03/2021
* It's time to get in the sea and do a music! - 30/04/2021
* Let's get in the sea and do a music! - 14/05/2021
* Safe and sound at home again, let the waters roar, chat! - 24/05/2021
* Roll on up, roll on down. We all get songs in Streaming Town - 31/05/2021
* A Stream! Ho! Stream away, we'll Sea of Thieves together, with Kharites - 04/06/2021
* Galleon.........Galley off! - 05/07/2021
* Something something pirate pun - 26/07/2021
* The seas are alive, with the sound of cannons! with Kharites\_ and Krotukk - 30/07/2021 Stream VOD
* Sea of Sings LIVE | The Longest Johns Sea of Thieves Stream (11 Aug 2021)
* Singing and a'Sailing with RobRaven - 16/08/2021
* Sea of Sings - Putting the rum in rumbustiousness since 1862 - 06/09/2021
* STREAM Stream stream... - 27/09/2021
* To the boatmobile! There's DROPS! - 01/10/2021
* Splashy splashy! Sea of Sings with Freyline - 11/10/2021
* Bananas! Boil ’em, mash ’em, stick ’em in a stew... - 25/10/2021
* Bo.........@? - 15/11/2021
* SING OF THIEVES! JINGLE JAM 2021 - DAY 14! - THE LONGEST JOHNS (17 Dec 2021)
* New things?!? Well, new to us anyway. Now with added Spammals!! - 28/03/2022