Northwest Passage

from When the Light Gets In by RUNA

	/

Streaming + Download

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

Purchasable with gift card

$1 USD or more
Buy the Full Digital Album

lyrics

Westward from the Davis Strait ’tis there ’twas said to lie
The sea route to the Orient for which so many died;
Seeking gold and glory, leaving weathered, broken bones,
And a long-forgotten lonely cairn of stones.

Chorus:
Ah, for just one time I would take the Northwest Passage
To find the hand of Franklin reaching for the Beaufort Sea;
Tracing one warm line through a land so wide and savage
And make a Northwest Passage to the sea.

Three centuries thereafter, I take passage overland.
In the footsteps of brave Kelso, where his “sea of flowers” began.
Watching cities rise before me, then behind me sink again,
This tardiest explorer, driving hard across the plain.

And through the night, behind the wheel, the mileage clicking west
I think upon Mackenzie, David Thompson and the rest,
Who cracked the mountain ramparts and did show a path for me
To race the roaring Fraser to the sea.

How then am I so different from the first men through this way?
Like them, I left a settled life, I threw it all away.
To seek a Northwest Passage at the call of many men,
To find there but the road back home again.

credits

from When the Light Gets In, released March 17, 2024
Stan Rodgers (SOCAN / ASCAP); Arranged by RUNA

license

about

RUNA Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Celtic-American Roots music “super group”, RUNA, continues to push the boundaries of Irish folk music into the Americana and roots music formats.

Interweaving the haunting melodies and exuberant tunes of Ireland and Scotland with the lush harmonies and intoxicating rhythms of jazz, bluegrass, flamenco and blues, they offer a thrilling and redefining take on traditional music. ... more

runamusic.com

contact / help

Contact RUNA

Streaming and
Download help

Report this track or account

If you like RUNA, you may also like:

the alt
by the alt

supported by 4 fans who also own “Northwest Passage”

Great musos.....lovely arrangements and playing. apodimi(George Galiatsos)
go to album
Day is Come
by the alt

supported by 4 fans who also own “Northwest Passage”
go to album
False Lankum
by Lankum

supported by 4 fans who also own “Northwest Passage”

So atmospheric, so compelling, a great album. arthurcat
go to album
Wealth of Sorrow
by Cahalen Morrison

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
go to album
House and Land
by House and Land

House and Land offer a stirring take on classic Appalachian folk; this is delicate, heartfelt balladry. Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 22, 2017
go to album
Would the Light Hold Me
by Oceanique

Celtic-inspired instrumentation, delicate harmonies, and reflective lyrics abound on the sisterly indie-folk duo's debut album. Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 26, 2023
go to album
To The Awe
by Rachel Newton

Scottish harpist and singer Rachel Newton brings an innovative, intensely emotional touch to traditional music on this dreamy LP. Bandcamp New & Notable Nov 17, 2020
go to album