A topical on the late Mikolai Tarasiuk of the village Stoily in Belarus, deep in the ancient woodland of the Byelovezhskaya Puscha. After all the other villagers had passed away or fled to the cities for work, Mikolai lived alone in his village for 20 years to keep alive the memory of where he came from.
lyrics
Mikolai, Mikolai
God came to him in a dream and told him the day he’d die
Oh Mikolai, Mikolai
God showed up in a vision and told him the day he’d die
Oh Lord, bless these hands
Bless the stories that survive from they who lived upon the land
Yur’ya, bless the seed
Bless the soil neath the plow may we find joy in all our toil
[like] Mikolai, Mikolai
Ten thousand wooden figures and every on from up on high
That village like an island
That all chose to depart
Save the cat, ten geese, a goat and a sheep and a single wooden handcart
[and] Mikolai, Mikolai
In the patron saint of Stoily there is more than meets the eye
Oh Mikolai, Mikolai
Who could ever change him oh I’d like to see them try
Yur’ya, bring down the keys
We ask and if it please ye we’ll anoint the land with oil
Proceeds from this excellent new darkambient/neofolk comp from LEFT/FOLK goes to benefit American Near East Refugee Aid. Bandcamp New & Notable Jan 10, 2024