The Mountain King, Song # 7: Return
This is blog no. 7 about our album The Mountain King. Recorded at Wall of Sound Studio with John Wall in Albuquerque. Return is performed by Scott Darsee, Weissenborn slide guitar, and Johanna Hongell-Darsee, vocals and percussion. You can hear the full song on our Recordings page.
With a melody from Finland, this part of the Mountain King ballad touches on a belief that the trolls, fairies, dwarfs and other supernatural creatures possessed vast riches, and that being in a relationship with one of them could give you all you wanted. You could live in this dream world where you would never go hungry, never lack for anything. But these creatures were jealous. You usually had to keep the relationship a secret.
In this song we meet a young woman as she returns home after having been gone for a long time. Though her mother is happy to see her, she is also suspicious. Why does her daughter suddenly turn up after such a long time, well-fed and dressed in expensive clothes? Something is going on ... and as a mother she has a right to know...
The young woman has promised the Mountain King that she will not tell anyone that she has been living with him in the mountain.
However, her mother is the kind of mother that it is very hard to keep anything secret from. So, the young woman soon spills the beans, and tells her mother the whole story.
Regretting having said too much she uses a magic golden harp to call for her Mountain King. Whenever she is in trouble she can play on it and the notes will be carried to him so he can come to her rescue.
Once more, the refrain functions as a kind of chorus commentary, that emphasizes that this story is probably not going to end well.
The mother said to her daughter dear:
Tiden görs mig lång.
Time feels so long.
“Where have you been all these years?”
Jag vet att sorgen är tung.
I know the sorrow is heavy.
“Did the Mountain King take you away?”
Tiden görs mig lång.
“What did he give you to lead you astray?"
Jag vet att sorgen är tung.
“He gave me a lovely silken dress.
Tiden görs mig lång.
“I have worn it with great distress."
Jag vet att sorgen är tung.
“He gave me pretty silver shoes.”
Tiden görs mig lång.
“I have worn them with worries and woes."
Jag vet att sorgen är tung.
“He gave me ribbons both gold and red.”
Tiden görs mig lång.
“I have worn them with fear and dread"
Jag vet att sorgen är tung.
“He gave me a harp with golden strings.”
Tiden görs mig lång .
“To play whenever life sorrow brings."
Jag vet att sorgen är tung.
She took the harp and hit a string.
Tiden görs mig lång.
The note was carried to the Mountain King"
Jag vet att sorgen är tung.
Second time the harp she played.
Tiden görs mig lång.
The mountain king stood up from his bed.
Jag vet att sorgen är tung.
Third time the harps she strummed with force.
Tiden görs mig lång.
The Mountain King jumped up on his horse.
Jag vet att sorgen är tung.
