All Souls Night - Introduction

I've looked at the creation of each recording and each song
As a unique journey of discovery
Gathering distinctive elements along the way, and
Stitching them together as one might
Little scraps of yarn or sea shells into a tapestry

So, for example, when I started out to create the song
Which became "All Souls Night"
I'd already become interested in Irish and then Celtic history
I'd read parts of Robert Graves' book, "The White Goddess"
Which profiled various festivals, rituals and traditions
Their meanings and significance
In the interconnectedness of the human world
And the rest of the natural world
Including the army of those souls who had gone before us

Too, in 1985, I'd been invited to perform at the Exprian School in japan
And I'd read this fascinating book by Lafcadio Hearn
About the opening up of Japan in the 1800s
And in it, it profiled this custom of placing lanterns
On the water which floated out to the sea
I found this imagery quite a powerful metaphor of our lives
And these were two such strands of inspiration
Which went into making this song: "All Souls Night"

To mark where the old year passes by
I can see the lights in the distance
Trembling in the dark cloak of night
Candles and lanterns are dancing, dancing
A waltz on All Souls Night