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I had recorded this song on a previous album: here is the full story.
A favourite theme of shapeshifting & skin turning.

lyrics

Now in days when the world was wild and untamed,
ice colder, fire hotter and magic a way of life.

Stretching across the northern steppes of russia,
was a primordial wilderness of, pine, spruce, larch, aspen,
birch and beetroot.
Broken only by misty peat bogs,
where strange lights flickered at night.
And a few villages huddled together
within the shelter of their wooden palisades.

For these forests were dangerous places,
home to wolves, bear, tigers and elk.
And all of the animal,
it was whispered in the villages,
were ruled over by forest faeries,
called leshy.

Curious beings indeed.
Not many a mortal spied a leshy.
And those that did,
gave conflicting reports,
as to the creatures true appearance.

What was that i saw just then, what could it be,
did i see a face through the tangled vines,
was it a leshy?.

You see the leshy were shape shifters.
And though it's true appearance,
was man like,
but with long green hair & beard.
Narrow bony face,
and eyes coldly gleaming.
They could also assume,
the shapes and sounds of animals,
the wind, the water, the trees,
do you see?

Was it the sigh,
or the howl of the wind,
or the rustle in the leaves?.
Was it the sound of water over stone,
or the movement in the trees?.

The few hardy souls that ventured into those woods,
huntsmen, herdsmen, charcoal burners and hare krishna's.
Knew better than to listen to the seemingly innocuous,
sounds all around them.

For no one knew exactly where those sounds came from.
And one may be lured of the tracks and into real danger,
by the cry of a baby, maybe.
Or the dulcet welcoming tones of a woman.

Was it a man,
was it a beast,
was it a spirit there?.
Was it a wolf,
was it and owl,
was it a roaming bear?.

For the leshy was as fickle and complex,
as the forest itself.
As temperamental as the tassie weather.
As schizophrenic as the seasons of the 21st century.

Herdsmen slaughtered cows,
and offered them to the leshy.
Huntsmen set out bread and salt,
one symbolising life,
the other eternity.
As hopeful tokens,
of a safe passage,
and lasting friendship.

credits

from Electric wizardry, released February 8, 2015
Ruz:- shruti, banjo, vocals.

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all rights reserved

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Shivakti Byron Bay, Australia

A sonic salad of homegrown songs, toe tapping tunes, evocative verse, melodic grooves, healing drones, harmonic overtones, fun, laughter, wild nature and tales of the ancient future -NOW. Shivakti are Russell, Mayinda & friends. ... more

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