Lyrics - Track Comments To "the Visit" by Loreena Mccennitt

"
All
Soul's
Night"
This piece was inspired by the imagery of a
Japanesetradition which celebrate the souls of thedeparted by sending candle-lit lanterns out onwaterways leading to the ocean, sometimes inlittle boats; along with imagery of the
Celtic
All
Souls
Night celebrations, at which time hugebonfires were lit not only to mark the new year,but to warm the souls of the departed. -
L.
M."
Bonny
Portmore"
The destruction of old growth forests has become animportant conservation issue in recent years, but itis not a new phenomenon.
Over the centuries manyof
Ireland's old oak forests were leveled for militaryand shipbuilding purposes.
Only recently has therebeen an effort to reestablish these great hardwoods.
The
Great
Oak of
Portmore stood on the propertyof
Portmore
Castle on the shore of
Lough
Beg. -
L.
M."
Greensleeves"
I always wondered how
Tom
Waits wouldsing
Greensleeves.
When preparing myprevious recording
Parallel
Dreams,while waiting to do something else, weaccidentally and spontaneously recordedthis track in one take without ever intendingto release it.
However, here is,
Tom. -
L.
M."
Tango to
Evora"
This piece was originally conceived and recorded for the
National
Film
Board of
Canada's
The
Burning
Times, directed by
Donna
Reid. -
L.
M."
Courtyard
Lullaby"
The photographs which appear in this booklet weretaken at a 16th century hunting lodge in
Portugal,where
Elisabeth
Feryn and
I stayed for a week.
Withinthe lodge was a courtyard, marked at each corner byorange trees.
The feel of the place reminded me ofthe
Unicorn tapestries which hang in
The
Cloistersin
New
York
City.
The tapestries and the lodge areboth rich with earthy, pre-
Christian iconography -depicting the mysterious life and death cycle of theseasons.
It was in this courtyard that this piece wasconceived. -
L.
M."
The
Old
Ways"
I spent a most haunting
New
Year's
Eve in
Doolin,
County
Clare,
Ireland some years ago, and was movedby the antiquity of the some of the celebrations.
Yet
I was met by deep reminders that they may be theremnants of the old world meeting the "new". -
L.
M."
Cymbeline"
Here are
William
Shakespeare's thoughtson this earthly visit. this song occurstowards the end of his romance play
Cymbeline, which was written near theend of the author's life.
The play is setin ancient
Britain when the
Romans wereinvading the last remaining outpost ofthe old
Celtic order. -
L.
M.

Return to songs by Loreena Mccennitt.