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The Tale That No One Tells

from Strange Little Smile by Rosi Lalor

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about

THE TALE THAT NO-ONE TELLS was inspired by a night of torrential rain when myself and a friend took shelter in Callanan's on George's quay in Cork city centre. Whilst standing at the crowded bar my friend poured a few drops of a mysterious oil into my palm. Before she would let me take in the scent, she instructed me that as I did so, I had to "tune in to the history at the centre of the room'. This song is the result. The red-haired lady, historically misrepresented and underrepresented, is Mary Magdalene. The pseudo Latin is from google translate. This is what I hope it says: "Hail Mary, the wife of Jesus, in the same spiritual condition as Jesus, the lover of Jesus, blessed are you."

lyrics

It was raining the night that a warm orange light drew me through the door of
Callanan’s bar to order a jar
of hot sweet milky tea

My coat was soaked so I hung it from a silver hook
the men were too decent to stare but they all looked up
I gave them a nod that was as long as it took
to know where I was
to know I was welcome, welcome home
after so many miles walked alone
“Past hundreds of guard dogs
through acres of stinking bogs
I made fire out of two damp logs
and wrestled the ten false gods
all so I could sit in here tonight
with a tale or two to tell
with a tale or two to tell”

on the opposite side of the room was a bride
but no-one else could see her
she had red wavy hair and sat in a chair
over by the old bookcase

As soon as she saw me she got up to give me a kiss
Like I was her girl, like I was the daughter she’d missed,
a friend of her soul, one who could drink of her bliss.

Could look in her eyes and see who she was
and bow to her heart and give her my hand
then give her my other hand as well
could make it through thirteen versions of hell

Past hundreds of guard dogs
through acres of stinking bogs
I made fire out of two damp logs
then wrestled the ten false gods
all so I could sit with her that night
to hear the tale that no-one tells the tale that no-one tells

Ave maria, uxor iesu,
aequali conditione iesu,
amans iesu
benedicta tu

credits

from Strange Little Smile, released July 8, 2021

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Rosi Lalor Cork, Ireland

Rosi Lalor grew up in Liverpool and now lives in County Cork. She is a storyteller and mystic at heart, with a large dose of clown thrown into the cauldron. Her song-craft is a satisfying process of resolving inner conflicts. Strange Little Smile is her second album, Flowers For The Living (available on itunes & Spotify) is her first. ... more

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