Jethro Tull- Mountain Men

The poacher and his daughter
throw soft shadows on the water in the night.
A thin moon slips behind them
as they pull the net with no betraying light.
And later on the coast road, I meet them
and the old man winks a smile.
And who am I to fast deny the right
to take a fish once in a while?
I walk with them, they wish me luck
when I ship out on the Sunday from the kyle.
And from the church I hear them singing
as the ship moves sadly from the pier.
Oh, poacher's daughter, Sunday best,
two hundred brave souls share the farewell tear.

There's a house on the hillside, where the drifting sands are born.
Lay down and let the slow tide wash me
back to the land where I came from.
Where the mountain men are kings
and the sound of the piper counts for everything.

Did my tour, did my duty. I did all they asked of me.
Died in the trenches and at Alamein
...died in the Falklands on T.V.
Going back to the mountain kings
where the sound of the piper counts for everything.

Long generations from the Isles
sent to tread the foreign miles
where the spiral ages meet.
Felt naked dust beneath their feet.
Future sun called winds to blow
and the past and present hard-eyed crow
flew hunting high and circling low over blackened plains of Eden.

There's a child and a woman praying for an end to the mystery.
Hoping for a word in a letter
fair wind-blown from across the sea
to where the mountain men are kings
and the sound of the piper counts for eveything.

There's a house on the hillside, where the drifting sands are born.
Lay down and let the slow tide wash me
back to the land where I came from.
Where the mountain men are kings
and the sound of the piper counts for everything.
Where the real mountain men are kings
and the sound of the piper counts for everything.

Feel the naked dust beneath my toes
while the future sun calls winds to blow
and the past and present black-eyed crow
flies hunting high and circling low
between dream mountains of our Eden.

Jethro Tull- Mountain Men, from the album Crest of a Knave

Category:

Music

Tags:

• jethro
• tull
• mountain
• men
• crest
• of
• knave
• ian
• anderson
• steel
• monkey

[jstarang1]

Iron Maidens fear of the dark sounds like this in the beginning, but then again i know maiden gets a lot influence from tull, i love tull, best band ever, nothing will top them

[Aqualung1989]

I must say, Iron Maiden is becoming one of my favourite bands... but as you say, nothing compares to Tull

[ThePipersNicks]

My favorite Tull song of the 1980's. Love the "anthem" guitar on this album. One of my favortie tunes of all time. Amy, 300-400 times, that's it??!! j/k. I got a late start, didnt get this until 1995 on CD, but I've been thru it at least 2000 times if I have to guess. It never ever gets old. :)

[Amysupport]

I missed this song for so long. I had even forgot it even existed. Because when you have been listening to Crest Of A Knave for those 300 or 400 times that I've been through it, back when I was 17 to 20 years old, you really need to lay off it for some years. But the uploading of this tune, makes me wonder if not I have waited far too long. I Be Thank You. Mr. Aqualung1989 Keep them coming!

[Bozohotep]

5 flatlanders



[Dirkchucklebutty]

@badumpy Iron Maiden, Steve Harris and Bruce are BIG Tull fans, Bruce just did an Xmas gig with Ian from Tull.

[psikedelik]

The beginning of this song like "High Hopes" by Pink Floyd or vice versa...

[bellaganamama]

Crest of A Knave is my all time favorit album and mountin man my fav song. The hole album was great and Ian is a master poet

[badumpy]

@sheikyerbouti1984 geez i never noticed...but similar for sure

[badumpy]

Who said Iron Maiden..is influenced by Tull...I dont think IM likes Tull and IA in particular

[TheKristof91]

Sad sad song.

[jethrodassam]

@Aqualung1989 Oh I couldn't agree more.

[sheikyerbouti1984]

The melody of this song is of course from "Thick as a Brick" ("The poet and the painter..."

[Tull1967]

"And who am i to fast deny the right to take a fish once in a while".. i love this song :)