This song was created on 30 July 1999 by about 15 adults and children at a Natural Nurturing Network camp in Atlow, Derbyshire. The songwriting process basically consisted of an hour long brainstorm, in which participants offered up expressions of their experience during the week-long camp. This abundance of raw material was then woven into chorus, verse and music by Mark Crutcher, Gerry Mulvenna and Tania Kerlow. The intensive creative process was quite possibly assisted by the convergence of earth energies on Atlow Moat where the songwriting took place.

Songwriting by committee - they said it couldn't be done...

As promised in the Oct-Nov 1999 issue of the NNN newsletter an audio rendering of the song (well parts of it anyway) is now available. A primitive recording has been made with Little Tikes finest high fidelity equipement and I've split these up into the following files. At least you'll get the gist of the tune!

The first two verses plus choruses in RealAudio
Just the chorus as a 220K WAV file
The fifth verse: the different-sounding one about the jet plane as a 310K WAV file

Drop me a line if you were a member of the brainstorming team or if you have any other comments or feedback about this page.

Gerry Mulvenna
29 October 1999

Tribal Echoes

A gust of cool air in the heat of the day
Flames from the fire, sparks from the mind.
A gust of cool air from the cold of the night
The moon and the stars and the river
Running by...running by

Tribal echoes
Do-biddy-doo, do-biddy-da
Circle of similars
Do-biddy-doo, do-biddy-da

Adjust to another world in body and mind
The wind in your hair, the smoke in your eyes
Ancestral memories and songs of the past
The freedom of being and children
In our arms...in our arms

Solar showers with cold surprises
The water slide and herbal healing
Technological advances, spiritual retreats
Some like chocolate and others
Like sweets...like sweets

Ducks in the water squishing up worms
Wood in the wheelbarrow and the bottle to talk
A long walk for the water, the bins and the loo
Tiptoe through the thistles and
Geodesic sneezing...geodesic sneezing

A crash course in flying drowns the animal noises
Shatters the silence and halts the listening
Low flying aircraft pass through our ears
This high tech brain lubricant leaves
Babies in tears...babies in tears

You don't need booze to do a bender
With chilli in your billy and salad in your bowl
Put children in the pancake mix and let the magic work
Chilling out from life's demands, adapting
To be free...to be free

Earth, air, fire, water and tiddle
Bits and bobalobs - gifts to be simple
A touch of jive singing and Nancy round the fire
With a "do diddy dong" for the silly line
In our song...in our song

This song or week would not be complete
Without a word of thanks or praise
To Earth Heart folk who shared with us
Their dear green space and
Tree hugging...tree hugging

The sun is still shining and there's food for all
Celebrating the child in nature's great hall
It's time for goodbye and hugs all around
With thanks to Mike and happy birthday
To you Lu...to Lilly and Lu