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Cave of the Swimmers

from Grand Promenade by Maggie McKaig

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about

The Cave of Swimmers is a cave with ancient rock art in the mountainous Gilf Kebir plateau of the Libyan Desert section of the Sahara, which was featured in Michael Ondaatje's extraordinarily amazing novel, "The English Patient," and subsequent beautiful film by the same name. Both the novel and the film bowled me over. I was positively stunned after experiencing both. This song came out of all that astonishment.


Photo by Roland Unger, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22698492

lyrics

Somewhere deep in Africa,
Where desert sands drift far and wide
There is a cave, dark and cold
Wherein strange paintings do abide
A thousand miles from any kind
Of river, lake, or ocean
And yet these paintings on the wall
Are all in swimming motion

The stories of these legendary caves
Were sheltered by the elder’s tongues
Faces lit by firelight
Breathing stories to their young
And now we come within that light
As our two worlds join
Eyes like diamonds in the fire
As we toss the coin
Do you come to offer me an ocean?
Or do you plan to leave me in these desert sands?

Now when I wake
There’s no trace
Yet I feel your face
And that last kiss

And I can hear
Your breath
It's my life
And my death
In that last kiss

The tides of war have carried you
So far away,
The light no longer penetrates the dark
Night never turns to day

Yet oceans turn to desert sands
It is safe to say

credits

from Grand Promenade, released June 20, 2003
Maggie McKaig--lead and harmony vocals, guitar, accordion, kalimba
Luke Wilson--bouzouki
Michael Zisman--fretless bass guitar

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all rights reserved

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about

Maggie McKaig image

Maggie McKaig Nevada City, California

I'm a singer-songwriter, guitarist, accordionist, composer, poet, essayist, playwright. Since 2009 I've led World music quartet Beaucoup Chapeaux. With my partner of 45 years Luke Wilson we raised two sons, made seven albums, and grown veggie gardens and fruit trees on five acres of never ceded land once occupied by the Nisenan Tribe near Nevada City, CA.
Photo by LeeAnn Brook. ... more

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