child of the woods
by Troisnyx
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about
Originally finished up and uploaded to Newgrounds on 9 March 2020. This was a very difficult piece for me to write, but I wrote this after being moved to tears and angered upon seeing the plight of various indigenous peoples around the world.
In order to write about this subject, I dreamed up a fantasy / RPG story where a child, our titular "child of the woods," is one of a dying race of druids. Their forests are being forcefully cut down, their homes destroyed, their people exterminated, and those who defend them also exterminated by a wicked king. A passing traveller, who is not of their world, chances upon the druids, who are gathering together in mourning, and the child tells the traveller the story of their kin -- in what might be their last chance to do so before they, too, are consumed by the senseless violence of the king.
Real-life parallels are happening today -- we only need to look at the Amazonians, Orang Asli, Indigenous Australians, and various other indigenous tribes displaced by greedy people in a merciless manner in the past as well as in the present, and the various forests set on fire. All these real-life parallels helped me to write this song, and I wanted to convey it in a way that would get to the heart of the matter.
I am not indigenous. I am a diaspora kid twice over. This song was brought about by heartbreak, anger, and empathy.
In order to write about this subject, I dreamed up a fantasy / RPG story where a child, our titular "child of the woods," is one of a dying race of druids. Their forests are being forcefully cut down, their homes destroyed, their people exterminated, and those who defend them also exterminated by a wicked king. A passing traveller, who is not of their world, chances upon the druids, who are gathering together in mourning, and the child tells the traveller the story of their kin -- in what might be their last chance to do so before they, too, are consumed by the senseless violence of the king.
Real-life parallels are happening today -- we only need to look at the Amazonians, Orang Asli, Indigenous Australians, and various other indigenous tribes displaced by greedy people in a merciless manner in the past as well as in the present, and the various forests set on fire. All these real-life parallels helped me to write this song, and I wanted to convey it in a way that would get to the heart of the matter.
I am not indigenous. I am a diaspora kid twice over. This song was brought about by heartbreak, anger, and empathy.
lyrics
Come mourn here by my side, and stay here awhile;
we're losing our every last reason to smile.
You're one of the few who have dared ventured here;
now you shall bear witness to our final prayer.
Our temples are burnt down, our homes all destroyed,
our young men deliberately left unemployed;
the trees are our friends, giving shelter and food,
but they're fast disappearing, and we'll starve for good.
Oooooh...
How has the king asked that you treat our kind?
>He said we should live as though you don't exist;
I know that he sees us with hate in his mind--
>he puts to the fire and sword those who insist
he casts us to hell; says that's where we belong.
> that you're meant to be free, doesn't matter the race.
Our songs have been silenced, our grief has been long.
> He tortures the good men with glee on his face.
> Would that I not need to do the unhappy deed
of singing the tale of the evil king's greed!
He started the blaze that would not fade away,
a wound in the earth's heart, and there it shall stay.
Oooooh...
(O stay here awhile, now, and join in our mourning,
and let your tears mingle with ours;
for we're left with nothing; what little we have
is fast dying like the leaves on the trees.
O stay here awhile, now, don't turn us away;
let our last song take root in your soul.
Sing to your children and your children's children
about what you've seen-----)
Oooooh...
I've lost my mother, my brothers, my friends;
I know many more people whose lives met their end
at the hands of the king's men who crossed through these parts.
But still deeper than this run the wounds in our hearts.
Oooooh...
(O stay here awhile, now, and join in our mourning,
and let your tears mingle with ours;
for we're left with nothing; what little we have
is fast dying like the leaves on the trees.
O stay here awhile, now, don't turn us away;
let our last song take root in your soul.
Sing to your children and your children's children
about what you've seen-----)
O stay here awhile, I have one final plea;
be the bright sword of truth for my brethren and me.
My vision grows dark, but my voice shall be heard,
and I'm counting on you, my friend, to spread the word.
we're losing our every last reason to smile.
You're one of the few who have dared ventured here;
now you shall bear witness to our final prayer.
Our temples are burnt down, our homes all destroyed,
our young men deliberately left unemployed;
the trees are our friends, giving shelter and food,
but they're fast disappearing, and we'll starve for good.
Oooooh...
How has the king asked that you treat our kind?
>He said we should live as though you don't exist;
I know that he sees us with hate in his mind--
>he puts to the fire and sword those who insist
he casts us to hell; says that's where we belong.
> that you're meant to be free, doesn't matter the race.
Our songs have been silenced, our grief has been long.
> He tortures the good men with glee on his face.
> Would that I not need to do the unhappy deed
of singing the tale of the evil king's greed!
He started the blaze that would not fade away,
a wound in the earth's heart, and there it shall stay.
Oooooh...
(O stay here awhile, now, and join in our mourning,
and let your tears mingle with ours;
for we're left with nothing; what little we have
is fast dying like the leaves on the trees.
O stay here awhile, now, don't turn us away;
let our last song take root in your soul.
Sing to your children and your children's children
about what you've seen-----)
Oooooh...
I've lost my mother, my brothers, my friends;
I know many more people whose lives met their end
at the hands of the king's men who crossed through these parts.
But still deeper than this run the wounds in our hearts.
Oooooh...
(O stay here awhile, now, and join in our mourning,
and let your tears mingle with ours;
for we're left with nothing; what little we have
is fast dying like the leaves on the trees.
O stay here awhile, now, don't turn us away;
let our last song take root in your soul.
Sing to your children and your children's children
about what you've seen-----)
O stay here awhile, I have one final plea;
be the bright sword of truth for my brethren and me.
My vision grows dark, but my voice shall be heard,
and I'm counting on you, my friend, to spread the word.
credits
released January 13, 2022
license
all rights reserved
tags
about
Troisnyx England, UK
Hey everyone, Troisnyx here. I make songs that touch hearts. Come, listen, and never forget.
For private use only. Want a licence to use it in your creations? Hit me up!
discography
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Dec 2023 -
Dec 2023 -
Jun 2023 -
Mar 2023
contact / help
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