One of the germs of “The Watchfire” was a partial mishearing of Quicksilver Messenger Service’s 1971 song “Fire Brothers.” The mondegreen method seems about right, as no one can seem to agree on the exact lyrics to this song. Here’s my best attempt:
In the valley where the loons and lovers play
Lived two children who were born on Saturday
One was dark, one was fair
Fathered by the hawk, mothered by the mareStranger children you will never see;
Brothers of the forest and the sea
One was land, one was air
And they keptthetwo fires burning thereIn a golden vessel and silver vase
Kept them burning in that strange enchanted place
Kept them burning to the sky
For they knew someday the sun would die
Edit: After blasting this on real speakers, I think Steve’s right. Thanks, fire brother!
Seems perfect, except for one word — which should be TWO rather than THE. I used to own the LP, and I’m almost certain the lyric sheet said,:
“And they kept TWO fires burning there
In a golden vessel and silver vase….”
But other than that one word, perfect! What a lovely song….