"Waiting for a Hero" is the oldest song on this album. Written about 20 years ago, it dwells between world-weary reality and the eternal hope of fairy tales. What's never changed is my belief in love and in everyday heroism, chosen by virtue of how we decide to live in every moment.
lyrics
Scarlet rose and silver thorn
Grow around the tower where she was born
Creeping up the sunlit walls, shadowing the lonely halls
And covering the solitary door
And it's there a home she keeps
Held in thrall by spell and sorcery
She will never taste the sun, or wander where the waters run
Until her true love comes to set her free
Through a thousand other heroes
Past an endless, faceless wall
She is watching through the window
For the only face that matters at all.
Now and then he hears her name
Now and then he wonders what she'd say
Then he laughs so hard it hurts--
Dreaming only makes it worse--
He wouldn't have the courage, anyway
Just another night alone
In a dirty tavern by the road
He drains a drink to drown the tears,
and thinks of all the wasted years
Since last he had a story of his own
And he doesn't even know
And he's never been a hero
No, he's never been a hero
Anywhere to anyone
But her
So he wanders home
And he sits alone
And he dreams of all the feats
That other men do
And she waits for him to come
'Til the candlelight burns low
And every night she says,
"Perhaps tomorrow."
Just another night apart
Just another pair of lonely hearts
Praying for the day to come
And the strength to be in love
Waiting for some kind of life to start
And you never even know
When she's waiting by the window
That it's your name she is whispering
That you've always been her hero
And she will never taste the sun
Or wander where the waters run
Until her true love comes
To set her free.
credits
from Courage, Dear Heart,
released November 3, 2023
Summer Russell - lead vocals, guitar, pennywhistle
Dr. Mary Crowell - clarinet
Eric Distad - keyboard
I could listen to Lauren sing forever. Her writing is vivid and sensitive, sweetly and painfully human--never apologizing for sharp corners and rough edges. The beauty of her spirit shines through. Summer Russell
Singer-songwriter Henry Parker puts his own spin on the classic sounds of '60s and '70s British folk on this wilderness-inspired new LP. Bandcamp New & Notable Nov 9, 2021
