The Mountain
The mountain held the town as in a shadow
I saw so much before I slept there once:
I noticed that I missed stars in the west,
Where its black body cut into the sky.
Near me it seemed: I felt it like a wall
Behind which I was sheltered from a wind.
And yet between the town and it I found,
When I walked forth at dawn to see new things,
Were fields, a river, and beyond, more fields.
The river at the time was fallen away,
And made a widespread brawl on cobble-stones;
But the signs showed what it had done in spring;
Good grass-land gullied out, and in the grass
Ridges of sand, and driftwood stripped of bark.
I crossed the river and swung round the mountain.
And there I met a man who moved so slow
With white-faced oxen in a heavy cart,
It seemed no hand to stop him altogether.
'What town is this?' I asked.
'This? Lunenburg.'
Then I was wrong: the town of my sojourn,
Beyond the bridge, was not that of the mountain,
But only felt at night its shadowy presence.
'Where is your village? Very far from here?'
'There is no village-only scattered farms.
We were but sixty voters last election.
We can't in nature grow to many more:
That thing takes all the room!' He moved his goad.
The mountain stood there to be pointed at.
Pasture ran up the side a little way,
And then there was a wall of trees with trunks:
After that only tops of trees, and cliffs
Imperfectly concealed among the leaves.
A dry ravine emerged from under boughs
Into the pasture.
'That looks like a path.
Is that the way to reach the top from here?-
Not for this morning, but some other time:
I must be getting back to breakfast now.'
'I don't advise your trying from this side.
There is no proper path, but those that have
Been up, I understand, have climbed from Ladd's.
That's five miles back. You can't mistake the place:
They logged it there last winter some way up.
I'd take you, but I'm bound the other way.'
'You've never climbed it?'
'I've been on the sides
Deer-hunting and trout-fishing. There's a brook
That starts up on it somewhere-I've heard say
Right on the top, tip-top-a curious thing.
But what would interest you about the brook,
It's always cold in summer, warm in winter.
One of the great sights going is to see
It steam in winter like an ox's breath,
Until the bushes all along its banks
Are inch-deep with the frosty spines and bristles-
You know the kind. Then let the sun shine on it!'
'There ought to be a view around the world
From such a mountain-if it isn't wooded
Clear to the top.' I saw through leafy screens
Great granite terraces in sun and shadow,
Shelves one could rest a knee on getting up-
With depths behind him sheer a hundred feet;
Or turn and sit on and look out and down,
With little ferns in crevices at his elbow.
'As to that I can't say. But there's the spring,
Right on the summit, almost like a fountain.
That ought to be worth seeing.'
'If it's there.
You never saw it?'
'I guess there's no doubt
About its being there. I never saw it.
It may not be right on the very top:
It wouldn't have to be a long way down
To have some head of water from above,
And a good distance down might not be noticed
By anyone who'd come a long way up.
One time I asked a fellow climbing it
To look and tell me later how it was.'
'What did he say?'
'He said there was a lake
Somewhere in Ireland on a mountain top.'
'But a lake's different. What about the spring?'
'He never got up high enough to see.
That's why I don't advise your trying this side.
He tried this side. I've always meant to go
And look myself, but you know how it is:
It doesn't seem so much to climb a mountain
You've worked around the foot of all your life.
What would I do? Go in my overalls,
With a big stick, the same as when the cows
Haven't come down to the bars at milking time?
Or with a shotgun for a stray black bear?
'Twouldn't seem real to climb for climbing it.'
'I shouldn't climb it if I didn't want to-
Not for the sake of climbing. What's its name?'
'We call it Hor: I don't know if that's right.'
'Can one walk around it? Would it be too far?'
'You can drive round and keep in Lunenburg,
But it's as much as ever you can do,
The boundary lines keep in so close to it.
Hor is the township, and the township's Hor-
And a few houses sprinkled round the foot,
Like boulders broken off the upper cliff,
Rolled out a little farther than the rest.'
'Warm in December, cold in June, you say?'
'I don't suppose the water's changed at all.
You and I know enough to know it's warm
Compared with cold, and cold compared with warm.
But all the fun's in how you say a thing.'
'You've lived here all your life?'
'Ever since Hor
Was no bigger than a--' What, I did not hear.
He drew the oxen toward him with light touches
Of his slim goad on nose and offside flank,
Gave them their marching orders and was moving.
poem by Robert Frost
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Related quotes
Fire Coming Out Of A Monkey's Head
Once upon a time at the foot of a great mountain,
There was a town where the people known as Happyfolk lived.
Their very existence a mystery to the rest of the world,
Abscured as it was by grey clouds.
Here they played out their peaceful lives,
Innocent of the litany of excess and violence
That was growing in the world below.
To live in harmony with the spirit of the mountain called Monkey was enough.
Then one day Strangefolk arrived in the town.
They came in camouflage, hidden behind dark glasses,
But no one noticed them: they only saw shadows.
You see, without the Truth of the Eyes, the Happyfolk were blind.
Falling out of aeroplanes and hiding out in holes,
Waiting for the sunset to come, people goin' home.
Jump out from behind them and shoot them in the head,
Now everybody's dancing the dance of the dead,
The dance of the dead, the dance of the dead.
In time, Strangefolk found their way into the high reaches of the mountain,
And it was there that they found the Caves of Unimaginable Sincerity and Giving.
By chance, they stumbled upon the Place Where All Good Souls Come to Rest.
The Strangefolk, they coveted the jewels in these caves above all things,
And soon they began to mine the mountain, its rich seam fueling the chaos of their own world.
Meanwhile, down in the town, the Happyfolk slept restlessly,
Their dreams invaded by shadowy figures digging away at their souls.
Every day, people would wake and stare at the mountain.
Why was it bringing darkness into their lives?
And as the Strangefolk mined deeper and deeper into the mountain,
Holes began to appear, bringing with them a cold and bitter wind that chilled the very soul of them up.
For the first time, the Happyfolk felt fearful for they knew that soon the Monkey would soon stir from its deep sleep.
And then came a sound.
Distant first, it grew into castrophany so immense it could be heard far away in space.
There were no screams.
There was no time.
The mountain called Monkey had spoken.
There was only fire.
And then, nothing.
O little town in U.S.A, your time has come to see
There's nothing you believe you want
But where were you when it all came down on me?
Did you call me now?
song performed by by Gorillaz
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Writing It Down
I was born on the cold side of the mountain
I wanna wake up on the warm side of the bed
How I start here
And how I end there
That is the part I aint worked out yet
Every day I climb a little bit higher
Every night I learn something new
Im writing it down
In case I forget
One day itll be my story for you
CHORUS
On every page you will know how much I love you
In every line you will see how much I care
With every word well grow a little closer
Even though we both know I cant be there
Thats why Im writing it down down down down down
Ohhhhhhhh Im writing it down
For you and for me
And for the whole wide world to read
Ohhhhhhhh Im writing it down
All my life Ive been hoping and praying
For my time to finally arrive
To put down this pen
To say its the end
And wake up back home with you by my side
REPEAT CHORUS
I was born on the cold side of the mountain
I wanna wake up on the warm side of the bed
How I start here
And how I end there
That is the part I aint worked out yet
song performed by by Uncle Kracker
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Not Just Climbing For Me
We all have to climb the mountain of life
The road can get tough and I knew that though
For reasons unknown to everyone around me
I climbed for me not telling anyone else why
But then I told one man my dreams and from there on out he was always there Cheering me on
Even when the road got tuff and my hands were bleeding
He was there by my side telling me it was going to be alright
Then he died and it seemed all was lost
But then I climbed harder
And it hit me
That I was not just climbing for me but climbing for him and all that he stood for remembering what he told
Me to do when road got cold and unforgiving
And still to this day I climb for us, me and him
And everything we stand for remembering what he climbed for
He climbed for me and God and all of his family
And that's what he told me
And that's why I climb for us remembering him and all the love
He showed me
poem by Rachel Dowd
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The Climb
Step by step
I've come closer to reaching the top
Every step must be placed so that I don't fall off
Looking down to see about how much higher I am
Another cool wind comes through and brushes my skin
The harder I push the tension does grow
I gather my thoughts the further and further I go
With some luck I just might keep on climbing
So better to climb than to face a fall
So high the climb
Can't turn back now
Must keep on climbing up to the clouds
So high the climb Can't turn back now
Must keep on climbing up to the clouds
Pulling myself up by a rope
I better my view
The only thing in sight is what I must do
As I turned I could see myself falling
Which in return save me strength for the climb
So high the climb
Can't turn back now
Must keep on climbing up to the clouds
So high the climb
Can't turn back now
Must keep on climbing up to the clouds
Although many failed I must now prevail with no question
Have no time to stop
Onward to the top of the mountain
And I can't turn back now
Its so very high but I can't turn back now
If I keep it up
song performed by by No Doubt from Tragic Kingdom
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Everybodys Got A Mountain To Climb
Everybodys got a mountain to climb
By dickey betts
Copyright 1994 sony music entertainment, inc.
Transcribed by ed luskey
Everybodys got a mountain to climb,
This road we travel gets a little tough sometimes,
Sometimes I know you feel like you cant go on,
Need somebody help you get back home,
Need a friend to help you find your way home.
Reverend pearly brown say theres peace out on the water at night,
Big sun going down, lord its a pretty sight,
Red and blue across the water makes a wonderful song,
Listen to it all night long.
Everybodys got a mountain to climb,
Dont be discouraged when the sun dont shine,
Gotta keep on pulling, you gotta keep on tryin,
Everybodys got a mountain to climb,
Everybodys got a mountain to climb.
Whod cross the face of a little smilin child? ,
Take away the losers one last chance? ,
Who wouldnt linger down by the old river for a while?
You know the whole world loves you when youre dancin.
So, hey let me tell you what Im talkin about,
You cant go around with your lip stuck out.
Life aint all good but it sure aint bad,
Anyway its the best old life I ever had.
Everybodys got a mountain to climb,
Dont be discouraged when the sun dont shine,
Gotta keep on pulling, you gotta keep on tryin,
Everybodys got a mountain to climb.
Everybodys got a mountain to climb,
Dont be discouraged when the sun dont shine,
Gotta keep on pulling, you gotta keep on tryin,
Everybodys got a mountain to climb.
song performed by by Allman Brothers Band
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Take The Water To The Mountain
Take the water to the mountain;
Take the river to the sea.
Let the forest be salvation
Long before it needs to be.
Take the water to the mountain;
Let your body flow upstream.
Let it cascade off your shoulders;
Be the body of your dreams.
Take the water to the mountain;
Let the sun shine on your ground.
You decide your every movement;
Let the water to the land.
Take the water to the mountain;
Cross the great divide of love.
Give to nature all you can give;
Let the mother know your heart.
Take the water to the mountain;
Lets become alive again.
Holy water, holy mountain,
Holy river, holy tree.
Pica!
song performed by by Yes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Take The Water To The Mountain
Take the water to the mountain;
Take the river to the sea.
Let the forest be salvation
Long before it needs to be.
Take the water to the mountain;
Let your body flow upstream.
Let it cascade off your shoulders;
Be the body of your dreams.
Take the water to the mountain;
Let the sun shine on your ground.
You decide your every movement;
Let the water to the land.
Take the water to the mountain;
Cross the great divide of love.
Give to nature all you can give;
Let the mother know your heart.
Take the water to the mountain;
Lets become alive again.
Holy water, holy mountain,
Holy river, holy tree.
Pica!
song performed by by Yes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Life As A Mountain
He stands at the bottom of the mountain.
The one he plans to climb.
He knows it'll have it's challenges,
And will take a lot of time.
So he beings his journey,
He tires very quick.
But the man, he journeys on,
The climb will be epic.
A week has passed, the man is lost,
But he does not dismay.
For he knows that he will reach the peak,
And looks forward to that day.
The climb it does continue,
The terrain is very steep.
To climb the mountain was his promise,
And his promise he will keep.
As he ventures higher,
He comes across some snow.
He slips and falls and tumbles down.
Then back upward he does go.
The man's now bruised and battered,
Cuts on his arms and legs and chest.
On the battle for the mountain,
He knows he will get the best.
He comes up to a rock face wall.
It's thousands of feet high.
But he continues on his quest.
Knowing he could die.
Years have past, the man's now old,
He continues to the peak.
His determination the strongest now,
But his body is frail and weak.
And then one day, he reached the top.
He was the happiest of men.
He said in a soft and gentle voice.
I'd surely do this again.
For our life is like a mountain.
Keep climbing and don't stop.
You'll not regret the climb you faced,
When you're standing on the top.
poem by Ryan Lee Morris
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Pure And Untouched
there is the other side of the mountain
made of dessert sand
nothing interesting in there
no gems,
everything diamond-like
is just imagination
when a friend asks about this side
we tell all these lies
that at its foot is a comfortable cottage
that beside it is a river
there is a white horse,
birds often make a stop-over here
trees are fruiting
and flowers bloom all year long
to be fair
there is also something true and beautiful in that
other side
but no one knows it except you
and on that same side of the mountain
you still make lies
afraid that someone shall take it away from you
because you are weak
and cannot protect it
from the invasion of the masses
from the shallowness of their minds
their incapacity to understand that in there
everything is good and can be seen and felt
but not a bit shall be taken
it is the world where the spectator must view
the world with respect
because it is untouched because it remains
to be itself
untaken, untouchable,
pure, and hence can never be us.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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The Climb
Step by step I come closer to reaching the top
Every step must be placed so that I dont fall off
Looking down to see about how much higher I am
Another cool wind comes through, brushes my skin
The harder I pust the tension does grow
I gather my thoughts the further and further I go
With some luck I just might keep on climbing
So better to climb than to face a fall
So high the climb
Cant turn back now
Must keep climbing up to the clouds
So high the climb
Cant turn back now
Must keep climbing up to the clouds
Pulling myself up by a rop I better my view
The only thing in sight is what I must do
As I turned I could see myself falling
Which in teturn gave me strength for the climb
Chorus:
Although many failed
I must now prevail with no question
Have no time to stop
Onward to the top of the mountain
And I cant turn back now
Its so very high but I cant turn back now
If I keep it up, Im gonna make it
Im so very close cant you see
Chorus:
Im getting closer...
song performed by by Gwen Stefani
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Boy And The Brook. (Armenian Popular Song, From The Prose Version Of Alishan)
Down from yon distant mountain height
The brooklet flows through the village street;
A boy comes forth to wash his hands,
Washing, yes washing, there he stands,
In the water cool and sweet.
Brook, from what mountain dost thou come,
O my brooklet cool and sweet!
I come from yon mountain high and cold,
Where lieth the new snow on the old,
And melts in the summer heat.
Brook, to what river dost thou go?
O my brooklet cool and sweet!
I go to the river there below
Where in bunches the violets grow,
And sun and shadow meet.
Brook, to what garden dost thou go?
O my brooklet cool and sweet!
I go to the garden in the vale
Where all night long the nightingale
Her love-song doth repeat.
Brook, to what fountain dost thou go?
O my brooklet cool and sweet!
I go to the fountain at whose brink
The maid that loves thee comes to drink,
And whenever she looks therein,
I rise to meet her, and kiss her chin,
And my joy is then complete.
poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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Black Mountain Blues
Out in black mountain a child will smack your face.
Im saying out on black mountain a child will smack your face.
The babies cryin for liquor, and all the birds sing bass.
Well, those people in black mountain are mean as they can be.
And those people in black mountain are mean as they can be.
Now they uses gun powder just to sweeten up their tea.
Well, out in black mountain you cant keep a good man in jail.
Yeah, out in black mountain you cant keep a good man in jail
cause if the jury convicts him, the judge will pay his bail.
I had a man in black mountain, the sweetest man in town.
I had a man in black mountain, the sweetest man in the town.
But then he met a city gal, thats when he throwed me down.
Lord, Im bound for black mountain, me and my razor and my gun,
Im going back to black mountain, me and my razor and my gun.
Im gonna fire him if he stands still, Ill just cut him if he runs.
Lord, now youve heard my story, now youve heard my news.
Lord, now youve heard my story, now youve heard my news.
Now my man can clear off, Ive got the blackest mountain blues.
song performed by by Janis Joplin
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Rill From The Foot Of The Mountain
The rill from the foot of the mountain that joins the river to the sea
It has babbled on downhill forever by hedgerows in the high
Country
It has witnessed the birth and death of millions of Seasons even before the first Human was born
In the upland wood where it flows through the birds sing at dawn of the morn.
The rill it is truly immortal something that will live forever more
Forever 'twill flow to the river that flows to the great ocean shore
To it there is not a time limit it is as old as father time
It has inspired the long dead poets to glorify it in their rhyme.
The rill from the foot of the mountain towards the river ripples along
And sometimes above it's quiet babble the dippers can be heard in song
The dark brown white breasted waterbirds of Human kind they do seem shy
By the water-way they were born and in the water-way they will die.
The rill from the foot of the mountain downhill to the big river flow
The ancestors of the upland farmers who lived by it centuries ago
In the old Village graveyard it flows by with the long departed they lay
As on for to join the big river it babbles on it's downhill way.
poem by Francis Duggan
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Climb That Mountain High
(don schlitz/reba mcentire)
Red sun a-rising, over the hill
Ive had enough of this desert to last from now until
Im tired of living day-to-day and hand-to-mouth
This could be the day I finally find my way out
Chorus:
Im gonna climb that mountain high
Im gonna see whats on the other side
Im gonna kiss this town good-bye
Im gonna climb that mountain
How I arrived here, heaven only knows
Seems more like the kind of place the devil wouldve chose
To spend my life here, is more than I can do
I know somewhere down the road my dream will come true
Repeat chorus
If I stay here forever
What will I have to show
But if I make it over
Then everyone will know
Im gonna climb that mountain high
Repeat chorus
song performed by by Reba Mcentire
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Cream Of Love
I am a black mountain standing up high,
And you need me on this love;
Because, i will make you climb uo so high to see the world!
I am a black mountain and i have the right cream of love for you,
And you will see me better in the night than ever!
So come to this black mountain and see things for yourself.
Oh my sweet Princess, come for this cream of love;
For you are the most beautiful lady that i have ever met.
Come to this black mountain and let me visit your palace too,
For your dreams will always be in my sleep.
Come on top of this black mountain,
For it is very cold at night;
But i will warm you up with the sweet blanket of love.
Come my sweet Princess,
For you are the only one who really means much to me;
And i will keep the sweet cream of love for you only.
poem by Edward Kofi Louis
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Black Mountain Blues
Old black mountain
Tried to spit in your face
Old black mountain
Tried to spit in your face
Babys grubbing whiskey
Oh shes practising ? ? ?
Old black mountain
Mean as they can be
Old black mountain
Mean as they can be
They use ground butter
Just to sweeten the tea
Had a girl in black mountain
Sweetest girl in town
Had a girl in black mountain
Sweetest girl in town
But she met a sweet black man
Then she threw me down
Well, old black mountain
Cant keep man in jail
Well, old black mountain
Cant keep man in jail
Sure to call him guilty
Judge will cry and bail
Im bound for black mountain
Me and my razor and my gun
Im bound for black mountain
Me and my razor and my gun
Gonna cut her if she stands there
And shoot her if she runs
song performed by by Nick Drake
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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A Warm August Day In Old Duhallow
A warm August day in old Duhallow far north of here and miles away
And swallows high o'er sunlit meadows scenting sweetly of mown hay
And songbirds silent on the hedgerows in Summer you seldom hear them sing
they always pipe their finest in the prime months of the Spring.
A warm day in August in the fields of Knocknagree
And old gray faced rook is cawing on high branch of elm tree
And the magpie he is chattering as into the grove he fly
From once seen and heard he's one that's not hard to identify.
A warm day by Clara mountain by the old Town of Millstreet
And the skylark is not singing o'er the bracken in the heat
In the warm days of late Summer he doesn't feel the urge to fly
High above the sunlit mountain for to carol in the sky.
A warm day in August and the drains of water dry
And the old man says often in August I've seen water flowing bank high
And the long range weather forecast is the weather will be fine
And that at least another fortnight of warm days and sunshine.
A warm August day in Duhallow and the farmer in short sleeves
And the temperatures quite pleasant around 25 degrees
Still it can't be very long now till the cool winds of change blow
And the Paps and Caherbarnagh will be in their hats of snow.
poem by Francis Duggan
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Meet Me On The Mountain
I remember it well, that day last spring,
When the snow lay deep on the mountain trails.
It was winters last showin and our last fling
Before returning to our lives in the valley.
We pretended we were lost in the wilderness,
And I pretended to be your guide.
Our love was a play and you were the actress.
We were two lonely people living out a dream.
Oh, baby meet me on the mountain
When the winter is dying
And the snow lay deep on the mountain trails.
Maybe its the spring putting thoughts in our heads.
But baby meet me on the mountain
When the winter lays her head to rest.
As the morning came, the feelings faded.
They melted away with the dew.
And if it hurt, I never felt it,
cause I knew that youd be leavin me soon.
Come on, baby meet me on the mountain
When the winter is dying
And the snow lay deep on the mountain trails.
Maybe its the spring putting thoughts in our heads.
But baby meet me on the mountain
When the winter lays her head to rest.
song performed by by Reo Speedwagon
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Cold Iron Bound
by Bob Dylan
I'm beginning to hear voices and there's no one around
Well, I'm all used up and the fields have turned brown
I went to church on Sunday and she passed by
My love for her is taking such a long time to die
I'm waist deep, waist deep in the mist
It's almost like, almost like I don't exist
I'm twenty miles out of town, in cold irons bound
The walls of pride are high and wide
Can't see over to the other side
It's such a sad thing to see beauty decay
It's sadder still, to feel your heart torn away
One look at you and I'm out of control
Like the universe has swallowed me whole
I'm twenty miles out of town in Cold irons bound
There's too many people, too many to recall
I thought some of 'm were friends of mine; I was wrong about 'm all
Well, the road is rocky and the hillside's mud
Up over my head nothing but clouds of blood
I found my world, found my world in you
But your love just hasn't proved true
I'm twenty miles out of town in cold irons bound
Twenty miles out of town in cold irons bound
Oh, the winds in Chicago have torn me to shreds
Reality has always had too many heads
Some things last longer than you think they will
There are some kind of things you can never kill
It's you and you only, I'm been thinking about
But you can't see in and it's hard lookin' out
I'm twenty miles out of town in cold irons bound
Well the fats in the fire and the water's in the tank
The whiskey's in the jar and the money's in the bank
I tried to love and protect you because I cared
I'm gonna remember forever the joy that we shared
Looking at you and I'm on my bended knee
You have no idea what you do to me
I'm twenty miles out of town in cold irons bound
Twenty miles out of town in cold irons bound
song performed by by Bob Dylan
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Mushera Fog
It steals down the mountain the Mushera fog
Across the mountain road and cloaks Togher Bog
On damp and wet days in Winter and the latter Fall
The traffic goes up and down road at a crawl
From the high road a steep dropp down the mountain side
And to drive fast there in the fog is a wish for suicide
But what a beautiful drive on a pleasant Spring day
When the hawthorns are in their white flowers of the May
A beautiful view of the countryside for miles around
As you drive up and down the high road on the higher ground
But from mid Fall to early Spring on damp weather of low cloud
The high Mushera road is cloaked in a gray shroud
As the low clouds of rain down the mountain side blow
For to cloak Togher Bog and the valley below.
poem by Francis Duggan
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