Story Behind The Song
From Grandfather series: maternal grandpere of MW cover artist Kathy Donahey was Greek immigrant as child, went to Alaska for the Gold Rush. Got rich, got poor, suffered, etc.
Song Description
Greek in Alaska bar laments lack of love, but most of all the curious fact that the moon's orbit is terribly close to the horizon at high latitudes...a metaphor for the blues if there ever was one.
Song Length |
3:54 |
Genre |
Folk - Country, Pop - Rock |
Tempo |
Non 4/4 |
Lead Vocal |
Duet Male/Female |
Mood |
Poignant |
Subject |
State, Searching for Love |
Language |
English |
Era |
1900 - 1920 |
Lyrics
From inside or outside, wherever you're bound,
when you're up, the sun's always down.
The last place my race should ever be found
is the long, cold, haul-up -- stuck on Alaska,
where the cold winter-noon sun
don't even reach to your room,
and the clouds open up
just in time for the night and the moon:
the low, low, low northern moon
makes a Greek with a few
a lover just spooking saloons.
For all of the night-life,
I might as well be up there too,
with the low, low, lown northern moon.
Now gold-dust means heart-rust and your loving undone:
you can't think of your life as a glad one;
the last thing your heart-strings should ever become
is the long gold haul-up, stuck on Alaska,
where you can't tell the night
from the day, even when you try,
'cept, at night, that's the time you can
lay down your headaches and fly:
to the low, low, low northern moon,
makes a Greek with a few
a lover just spooking saloons.
For all of the night-life,
I might as well be up there too,
with the low, low, lown northern moon.
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