Always Coming Home

Poet/Lyricist: 

Ursula K. LeGuin (b.1929)

Return with us, return to us, be always coming home —the closing words of Ursula LeGuin's "Initiation Song from the Finders Lodge. " In her futuristic novel, "Always Coming Home", the role of the 'Finders' clan is it to brave the unknown regions to search for and to bring new and useful things back to all the people in their community. Written for Aurora Chorus, a large adult women's choir, "Always Coming Home" explores the full dynamic range and the subtle emotions that a mature women's choir can deliver.

Level: 

Moderate
Item Voicing/Instrumentation Duration Price Audio View Score Quantity
15/2447R SSAA, piano, cello 5:45 $3.40 https://joanszymko.com/sites/joanszymko.com/files/audio_samples/14%20Always%20Coming%20Home.mp3 Roger Dean
Publisher Link

Publisher: 

Roger Dean Publishing Co.
Text

"Initiation Song from the Finders Lodge. "

Please bring strange things.

Please come bringing new things.

Let very old things come into your hands.

Let what you do not know come into your eyes.

Let desert sand harden your feet.

Let the arch of your feet be the mountains.

Let the paths of your fingertips be your maps

and the ways you go be the lines on your palms.

[Let there be deep snow in your inbreathing

and your outbreath be the shining of ice.]

May your mouth contain the shapes of strange words.

May you smell food cooking you have not eaten.

May the spring of a foreign river be your navel.

May your soul be at home where there are no houses.

Walk carefully, well loved one,

walk mindfully, well loved one,

walk fearlessly, well loved one.

Return with us, return to us,

be always coming home.

from Always Coming Home, ©1985 by Ursula K. LeGuin

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