A song from my album "Five Thousand Feathers," available at https://helenbell.bandcamp.com/album/five-thousand-feathers and https://ko-fi.com/s/a48789ea80

More info on my website: https://www.helenbell.co.uk/writing/5000-feathers.php

Equisetum or horsetail is the only surviving genus of a family of plants that dates back hundreds of millions of years. These plants are described as living fossils, terrible invasive weeds, or a useful source of materials for organic fungicide, depending on who you ask. Will they survive the next extinction event?

Helen Bell: voice, viola, synths Xenogon: electric guitar

Lyrics and music by Helen Bell; arranged by Helen Bell and Xenogon Filmed and edited by Helen Bell and Xenogon

Lyrics:

Away from the floodlight and over the line We saw it all, tenderly, but far more bright and raw this time And once again, we must end where we begin And once again, we will be continuing

In this same valley in a million years Two other aching creatures will see the horsetail growing here In a yet unspoken language they will say ‘That’s the one that used to grow in dinosaur days’

And horsetail won’t be its name any more And this time we will be the dinosaurs

And they will wrap themselves around each other so tight In heavy wanting, in protection from the changing of the light And a part of each of them will hold strong And a part of each of them will breathe long

And a part of each of them will be shaking As the quiet air around them keeps folding and quaking

Away from the floodlight and over the line We saw it all, tenderly, and far more bright and raw this time And once again, we must end where we begin And once again, we will be continuing

And a part of each of us might be shaking As the quiet air around us keeps folding and quaking And still a part of each of us might be shaking As the quiet air around us keeps folding and quaking