"I was struck by lightning when I was a baby."
"You were, my love. People do say that’s why you’re so inquisitive and clever."
On 19 August 1800, when Mary was 15 months old, she was being held by a neighbour, Elizabeth Haskings, who was standing with two other women under an elm tree whch was struck by lightning. All three women were killed but onlookers rushed the infant home where she was revived in a bath of hot water.Her family said she had been a sickly baby before the event but afterwards she seemed to blossom. For years afterward members of her community would attribute the child's curiosity, intelligence and lively personality to the incident.
lyrics
Earth, Air, Fire, Water
Earth, Air, Fire and Water
Earth, Air, Water and Fire
Earth, Air, Fire and Water
Earth, Air, Water and Fire
Earth, Air, Fire and Water
Landslides revealing improbable creatures
Earth, Air, Water and Fire
Roaring south-westerlies in off the sea
Earth, Air, Fire and Water
Lightning bolt striking yet sparing the child
Earth, Air, Water and Fire
Spring tides and neap tides that dance with the Moon
Day by day across Lyme Bay
The elements will sport and play
Four fine friends, or fearsome foes
Which they’ll be no-one knows.
Earth, Air, Fire and Water
Govern the world of the carpenter’s daughter
Earth, Air, Water and Fire
Unfolding prehistory
Shedding light on the mystery
Half way between land and sea.
Earth, Air, Fire and Water
She waits for the landslide to gently enfold her
Earth, Air, Water and Fire
What has her life been worth?
Delving the secret earth
She’s been travelling back in time.
Now she must say farewell to Lyme.
credits
from Mary Anning of Lyme,
released June 21, 2020
Music Kevin Adams
Whistle: Sheena Masson
Bright and skipping songs that foreground the sound of the banjo and fingerstyle guitar in music that feels timeless. Bandcamp New & Notable Oct 5, 2020
Sweet harmonies & strummed melodies; the duo delve into decades-old folk, jazz, and country to find a timeless kind of love and connection. Bandcamp New & Notable May 23, 2018