The Battle-Cant of Somershold

(To the tune of ‘Biggest Thing Man Has Ever Done’ by Woody Guthrie)

I'm just a humble scholar-man, come a-begging with my bowl
Highly educated with History in my soul
I saw our Fathers raise the Arch straight up to the sun,
And that was about the biggest thing that Man had ever done

I worked the soil at Erma, I fished the Sea of Souls
I mended nets in Colme, I herded sheep in Rols
I laid the road to Somershold, and faced it all in stone
And that was about the biggest thing that Man had ever done

I steeped the flax of Farel, an’ dried it in the sun
I quarried stone from Soles, an’ carried it by the ton
We built ourselves a nation, the finest ever run
And that was about the biggest thing that Man had ever done

We opened up our doors, hailed to all the Peoples ‘round
Are you looking now for freedom? ‘Cause here is where it’s found!
They sent us crooks and sinners, but here no-one is shunned
And that was about the biggest thing that Man had ever done

Now there’s a King across the sea who says he owns our souls
He’s sent a thousand ships to find and add us to his rolls
We’ll sharpen up our scythes, put his armies on the run
And that will be the biggest thing that Man has ever done

The People of the Forest, The People of the Shoals
The People of the Mountaintops, strong as any trolls
Come ye now to Somershold, it'll take us everyone
‘Cause this is about the biggest thing that Man has ever done

Scholar-man and money-man, the teamster and his dray!
Master and apprentice, we’re all commoners today!
Chant yer incantation, touch off your skinny gun!
Today will be the biggest thing that Man has ever done!

—Wayne Ligon

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