Tag Archives: lyrics

Desolation of Smaug Soundtrack and Theme Song by Ed Sheeran – “I See Fire” Lyrics

05 Tuesday Nov 2013

Posted by in Hobbit movie, Richard Armitage, Thorin

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at the door

You can pre-order the new soundtrack for Desolation of Smaug from Amazon today.

 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Special Edition

Track listing:

Disc: 1
1. The Quest for Erebor
2. Wilderland
3. A Necromancer (Bonus Track)
4. The House of Beorn (Extended Version)
5. Mirkwood (Extended Version)
6. Flies and Spiders (Extended Version)
7. The Woodland Realm (Extended Version)
8. Feast of Starlight
9. Barrels Out of Bond
10. The Forest River (Extended Version)
11. Bard, a Man of Lake-town (Extended Version)
12. The High Fells (Extended Version)
13. The Nature of Evil
14. Protector of the Common Folk
Disc: 2
1. Thrice Welcome
2. Girion, Lord of Dale (Extended Version)
3. Durin’s Folk (Extended Version)
4. In the Shadow of the Mountain
5. A Spell of Concealment (Extended Version)
6. On the Doorstep
7. The Courage of Hobbits
8. Inside Information
9. Kingsfoil
10. A Liar and a Thief
11. The Hunters (Extended Version)
12. Smaug (Extended Version)
13. My Armor Is Iron
14. I See Fire performed by Ed Sheeran
15. Beyond the Forest

The new theme song by Ed Sheeran called “I See Fire” has been released, which you can listen to here for free.

The song paints a grim picture with an oddly upbeat tune.  I like it.  Not as much as I loved “Song of the Lonely Mountain” but it is a good follow up, and in no way frivolous.  I feel it can be interpreted as coming from more than one character’s perspective.

These are the lyrics I’ve come up with after a few listens, with input from several other sources.

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Tentative lyrics to “I See Fire” by Ed Sheeran

Oh misty eye of the Mountain below,
Keep careful watch of my brothers’ souls,
And should the sky be filled with fire and smoke,
Keep watching over Durin’s sons.

If this is to end in fire, then we shall all burn together,
Watch the flames climb higher, into the night.
Calling out father oh, stand by and we will watch the flames burn auburn on the mountainside.

And if we should die tonight we should all die together.
Raise a glass of wine for the last time.
Calling out father oh, prepare as we will watch the flames burn auburn on the mountainside.
Desolation comes upon the sky.

Now I see fire, inside the mountain.
I see fire, burning the trees.
I see fire, hollowing souls.
I see fire, blood in the breeze.
And I hope that you’ll remember me.

Oh should my people fall then surely I’ll do the same.
Confined in mountain halls we got too close to the flame.
Calling out father hold fast and we will watch the flames burn auburn on the mountainside.
Desolation comes upon the sky.

Now I see fire, inside the mountain.
I see fire, burning the trees.
I see fire, hollowing souls.
I see fire, blood in the breeze.
And I hope that you’ll remember me.

And if the night is burning I will cover my eyes,
For if the dark returns then my brothers will die.
And as the sky is falling down it crashed into this lonely town.
And with that shadow ‘pon the ground I hear my people screaming out.

I see fire, inside the mountain,
I see fire, burning the trees.
I see fire, hollowing souls.
I see fire, blood in the breeze.
I see fire, (oh you know I saw a city burning) fire.
I see fire, (feel the heat upon my skin) fire.

And I see fire burn auburn on the mountainside.

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As I said above, these lyrics are not official, so if you hear something different please leave your version in the comments below.  And feel free to share interpretations as to possible meanings.

Update: Peter Jackson posted a new video of Ed Sheeran singing “I See Fire”:

Thanks to a quick shot of the lyrics in the video above, I’ve been able to correct a few words.

2013-11-05 16_25_53-Greenshot

-Adam Cantor has created a guitar tutorial for “I See Fire” for anyone interested in trying it out.

Neil Finn’s “Song of the Lonely Mountain” Lyrics

12 Monday Nov 2012

Posted by in Discussion, Hobbit movie, News, Thorin

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I was thrilled with just one minute of the preview for “Song of the Lonely Mountain” by Neil Finn, so you can imagine what I’m going through with a full four minutes.

You can listen to it here courtesy of Rolling Stone.  There is a six minute version on the Extended edition of the soundtrack.  Neil Finn was right.  Pop music does need more anvil. [Update: Just an FYI, those two extra minutes are instrumental only. Bummer.]

I’m not really emotional when it comes to music, but this one is digging through my defenses in a big way.  It is well-balanced between soaring and down to earth (the sound of hammer on anvil is practically a requirement for dwarven themed music, and they don’t scrimp on it here), and the whole song has a deep, slow moving determination to it.  But I’ll leave it to more musically inclined folk to explain why it’s awesome on a technical level.  I just know that if I heard it in a context unrelated to The Hobbit I would still enjoy it.

It seems Bilbo is going to have to wait to get his own theme song, because this one is 100% from the dwarf point of view.  I’m most enamored of the inclusion of a whole lot of bitterness in the lyrics.  It does not shy away from the theme of retribution (it just makes it sound strangely soothing).

You’ll notice the Arkenstone makes it in there.  Could I be any happier?

*Spoilers below*

Official lyrics from the CD booklet. Thanks to Talos63!

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Lyrics to “Song of the Lonely Mountain” by Neil Finn

Far over the Misty Mountains rise
Leave us standing upon the heights
What was before, we see once more
Our kingdom a distant light

Fiery mountain beneath the moon
The words unspoken, we’ll be there soon
For home a song that echoes on
And all who find us will know the tune

Some folk we never forget
Some kind we never forgive
Haven’t seen the back of us yet
We’ll fight as long as we live
All eyes on the hidden door
To the Lonely Mountain borne
We’ll ride in the gathering storm
Until we get our long-forgotten gold

We lay under the Misty Mountains cold
In slumbers deep and dreams of gold
We must awake, our lives to make
And in the darkness a torch we hold

From long ago when lanterns burned
Till this day our hearts have yearned
Her fate unknown the Arkenstone
What was stolen must be returned

We must awake and make the day
To find a song for heart and soul

Some folk we never forget
Some kind we never forgive
Haven’t seen the end of it yet
We’ll fight as long as we live
All eyes on the hidden door
To the Lonely Mountain borne
We’ll ride in the gathering storm
Until we get our long-forgotten gold
Far away from Misty Mountains cold.

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A new article with Neil Finn talks about the thinking behind the lyrics and tune: It’s a song that, like the dwarves’ quest, is about determinedly seeking retribution. “They are a solid, earnest, hard-working, loyal bunch, but they’re also very fixated on getting back what’s theirs,” Finn said of the band of dwarves. “There’s a great wound in their psyche, so it seemed appropriate to refer to that in the lyric.”

Update 12/28/12: Magpie of TORn found a place that sells a digital download of the sheet music for this song here.

Update 11/5/13:  Here are lyrics to the new theme song for The Desolation of Smaug, “I See Fire” by Ed Sheeran.

A true Bard sings the Dwarf Songs

03 Friday Feb 2012

Posted by in Hobbit book, Hobbit movie

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I’m likely the last to see this, since it has been out for a month, but a wonderful musician, ShadowCa7, recorded all (and I do mean all) of the dwarf lyrics from The Hobbit (and even the wee bit from Fellowship of the Ring which Merry and Pippin wrote) and blended them into what passes for the ultimate epic tale of the quest for the Lonely Mountain.  Very mournful and authentic sounding (maybe not very dwarven, but I like to think of it as an elf minstrel singing about the dwarves).  BTW, it is 16 minutes long!  So get yourself a drink, turn down the lights, relax and enjoy the music!

Misty Mountain Melody – or How Much Thorin Rocks!

03 Tuesday Jan 2012

Posted by in Hobbit movie, Richard Armitage, Thorin

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I’m still as smitten with Over the Misty Mountains Cold (lyrics to the original song can be found here) as when I first heard it, and am enjoying the interpretations on Youtube. For anyone interested in trying to make their own, here is a simple transcription of the melody by DieRacheDerNatur.

(click below for a printable version)

For those who want to try something more complicated, such as this impressive piano cover from EricDanielMusic, here is the sheet music it is based on (which varies slightly from the example above). Eric also made an incredibly helpful piano tutorial.

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But wait!  You say the plaintive piano is not your cup of tea?  Want something a little more…in-your-face?  Again, Eric Daniel has you covered! Try this Rock Guitar cover!  Go on, you will be surprised at how well it works!

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Not so sure Tolkien and hard rock go together?  I beg to differ.  Thorin may have been a harpist, but that does not mean he couldn’t thrash with the best of them!

Thorin rocks!

Thorin: The Hobbit's anti-hero, or Guitar Hero?