Mud and Laurel

Mud and Laurel | An Offering to Gaia For the Great Mother, Gaia. A song of reverence, grief, and devotion to the living Earth. A promise to listen, to honor what sustains us, and to teach those who come after us to walk with reverence for the world beneath their feet. May the roots remember. May the laurel endure. May the vow live beyond us. I hear you, Mother. I am still here. 🌿 LYRICS — MUD AND LAUREL [Intro] Beneath the stone Beneath the scar I feel your heartbeat Wherever you are [Verse 1] I came in with dirt on my hands You said, keep it That’s part of the plan I pressed my palm to the wet black loam And it felt like a door Like it knew my name But beneath the green Beneath the rain I felt something aching Without a name Every root a memory Every stone a scar And the earth grew heavy With the weight of what we are [Pre-Chorus] Gaia, I can feel you now In the silence underneath the sound I came here seeking somewhere to rest And found your sorrow beneath my chest I cannot mend what I cannot see But I will not turn away from thee [Chorus] Mother, I hear you Deep beneath the stone Through the roots and the ruin You are not alone I feel your sorrow I feel your rage The wound of the forest The weight of the age Gaia, I stand here With mud upon my skin I cannot heal the whole world But I will not abandon you in it [Post-Chorus] Under roots and stone Under blood and bone I hear you I hear you [Verse 2] The creek kept time by the fence line brush You laughed in the moss When I said I rushed I brought you apples, a cracked clay bowl Three fallen leaves And a stubborn soul But the water carries What the silence knows And the wind bears witness To the wounds below I feel the grief of what we take The living things we leave to break And something fierce begins to rise A mother's pain behind my eyes [Pre-Chorus] Gaia, I can feel you now Not just the peace, but the breaking ground I came to listen, I came to kneel And found a sorrow I cannot unfeel I will not call your suffering peace Or look away to find release [Chorus] Mother, I hear you Deep beneath the stone Through the roots and the ruin You are not alone I feel your sorrow I feel your rage The wound of the forest The weight of the age Gaia, I stand here With mud upon my skin I cannot heal the whole world But I will not abandon you in it [Bridge] If I have been loud Teach me to listen If I have been blind Let the veil be lifted If I have been ash Let me rise from the ground Not to burn what remains But to guard what is found I am not your savior I am not your cure I am one living heartbeat Trying to endure But while I have breath And while I have hands I will honor the life That this earth still stands Let my anger be shelter Let my grief become care Let my love be the promise That I will be there [Build] Not above you Not apart You beneath my feet You within my heart Through the mud Through the laurel Through the wound And the wonder I hear you, Mother I hear you [Final Chorus] Mother, I hear you Deep beneath the stone Through the roots and the ruin You are not alone I feel your sorrow I feel your rage I will not look away I will not turn the page Gaia, I stand here With mud upon my skin I cannot heal the whole world But I can choose how I live in it I will tread more gently I will guard what I can I will honor the living With these two human hands [Outro] Under roots and stone I am not alone Three fallen leaves A cracked clay bowl Mud on my hands Laurel in my soul I hear you, Mother I am still here --- Written and performed under the Irean Ash artistic identity. May we remember that reverence is not only spoken. It is taught, practiced, and carried forward. #IreanAsh #MudAndLaurel #Gaia #PaganMusic #AtmosphericRock