Great High Mountain - (Jack White) Edmund Hillary Tribute

Here is my banjo cover tribute to the late great Sir Ed, a very popular man here in New Zealand. Jack White did a wonderful version of this for 'Cold Mountain'. I don't think there can be a more perfect metaphor than this song for the life of Sir Ed and indeed all our lives.

I myself shall be making my own attempt on the great high mountain (Everest Base Camp) next year - whoopee!!

The photo is from Jon Krakauer's book 'Into Thin Air - A Personal Account of the Everest Disaster' which is one of the best books you'll ever read. Krakauer also wrote 'Into the Wild', another incredible book now popularised in Sean Penn's Oscar nominated film.

And now the lyrics:

Once I stood at the foot of a great high mountain
That I wanted so much to climb
And on top of this mountain was a beautiful fountain
That flows with the waters of life

I fell down on my knees at the foot of this mountain
I cried, "O Lord what must I do?
I want to climb this mountain, I want to drink from this fountain
That flows so clear in my view"

Then I heard a sweet voice from the top of this mountain
Saying, "Child put your hand in mine"
I started climbing slowly, "Watch your steps at the edges
And take one step at a time"

I started climbing upward taking one step at a time
The higher I got the harder I climbed

I'm still climbing upward and my journey's almost ended
I'm nearing the top and you ought to see the view
Oh the water flows freely, there's enough to make you free
So friend if you're thirsty climb this mountain with me

Category:

Music

Tags:

• great
• high
• mountain
• jack
• white
• sir
• edmund
• hillary
• everest
• tribute
• folk
• country
• into
• thin
• air
• krakauer

[stevo0665]

Not that I know anything about it, but are you going up the south or north? I just read Into Thin Air and I've watched the program on Discovery where they climb from the north. The north route seems so much safer to me w/o the icefall and the hillary step. i can't imagine trying to traverse the hillary step at that altitude. Plus isn't the north route much cheaper?

[joeburton77]

I'm just going to base camp! not nearly crazy or rich enough to try and go to the top. This will be from the nepal side as opposed to the tibet side I think.

[stevo0665]

good luck on your journey.

[joeburton77]

thanks!

[welldone987]

Are you from NZ?

[joeburton77]

I've lived in Dunedin, NZ for over 4 years but I am from London :)

[LVRROCK]

muy lindo :)

[pandabear15ful]

l love the movie cold mountain and i love this song jack white is a great singer

[McAndy89]

@joeburton77 Yeah boi I'm down here in Dunners at the uni!

[DoveyDear]

beautiful sir. I like your playin and your singing.

[chena3]

nice view

in your face climbing

[MaxtheGrande]

A man from norway was so determined that he got a bike, with 240 pounds of equipment, traveled from norway to nepal(9,000 miles) on bike. Finally after 4 months reached everest. he climbed until the hillary step, where he saw there was a storm. he turned around(saved his life) but point is it takes the balls to say im not going after all that!

[mrsbeagle67]

great job

[jackrusselsrulz]

Everest as climbing goes isnt a difficult climb the dangerous part is the altitude and the peak fever everyone gets climbing it.

[szuberi]

granted hillary step is a technical hurdle but 2nd step is no piece of cake either...since you said you will prefer the north side