This is one of my most-requested songs. The lyric to this was given to me by someone who remains unnamed to this day, and it took a lot of work for me to be happy with the lyrics, so it sort of counts as "co-written"; I never learned his tune and his chords didn't fit; so this tune is all mine. He was an older gentleman, met at a SF convention in Greenville SC between 1995-2000. I hope he appreciates where his song wound up in my hands.
lyrics
The Last Wolf
words by an unknown author and Mordewis ap Llys
music by Mordewis ap Llys
Chorus:
Last night, the last wolf died
And she didn’t go down easy, she committed suicide
She was fenced in, she was fettered, she was anything but free
But the spirit of that last wolf lives in me...
Wolf’s soul was born for freedom, though her body did despair
When it tasted the pollution in the water, in the air
And she dream-spoke, “I must die now, but this foulness cannot stand
“I will pass my howling spirit and my Earth-love to a man.” (cho.)
After dreams of green, deep forests, in the morning I awoke
I opened amber-yellow eyes on landscapes blurred by smoke
And my heart was filled with howling; in a snarl, my lips were curled
As I woke up to the ruin that we’ve caused upon this world (cho.)
We are piling up the garbage higher than the highest mount *
While we keep on spending billions to improve the body count *
We are losing children daily, dead from hunger and disease
With a billion homeless people huddling from the winter freeze. (cho.)
We are cutting down the forests that produce the very air
We have reach the point that there is no fresh water anywhere
And the wasted heat that we pump out will make the world too warm *
And I howl to see that people still don’t realize the harm (cho.)
The people must become aware of what it costs to live *
Although our world’s worth dying for, it’s not worth dying with
And if we don’t change our future, starting with this very day
You will make a barren planet, there’ll be no one left to pay # (cho.)
You who say you serve the people and who do the peoples’ will
As you serve your own best interests and you sit upon your kill
You best had heed my howling, and you’d better know your ground *
Or you’ll find me on your body, and your body won’t be found. # (cho.)
How many wolves are dying as we watch the Earth be raped? #
How many humans howling as we tear through your red tape? #
You should guard your pets and lovers, as we sing our howling tones #
We shall reclaim the Earth, if we must plant it with your bones # (chorus)
from All the Love,
released September 15, 2013
Moss Bliss - guitar and vocals
Trevis Harricharan - technical wizardry, including adding drums (electronic) and wolf howls (from public domain Internet files).
This is my favorite album so far. I don't think I've ever felt as seen as when listening to "Mermaids and Queers." "Slytherins and Misunderstood" finally convinced my mom to embrace her Slytherin identity! loquita08
Sweet harmonies & strummed melodies; the duo delve into decades-old folk, jazz, and country to find a timeless kind of love and connection. Bandcamp New & Notable May 23, 2018
This album speaks to the continuum of African diasporic culture that is central to the vibrant canon of Americana folk music. Bandcamp Album of the Day May 29, 2020
Two collaborations between Irish singer-songwriter J. Cowhie aka Goodtime John and Will Oldham are mildly psychedelic in atmosphere. Bandcamp New & Notable May 12, 2022