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1.
The journey resumes.
2.
Now I've got fingers slipping through the concrete blocks outside that wall my memories in again and metal boat-wheels worn so thin the blood beneath my skin‘s begun to leak begins to leak I heard my mother's thoughts today out in the wind again, again like drying clothes and ice tea warming in a shiny jar oh no she's rattling pans again and asking where I been so long and in the din there comes to mind again a battered tin all scratched inside and filled with men and smiles and eyes and everyone's got missing limbs I nod hello and with a nail in my nose I stoop to hoe a rusty row and what I'm trying to say what I'm trying to say I don't know I don't know I don't know I don't know I don't know Why words come in and then come out and everything sticks in my mouth oh I sometimes swear I sometimes pray and why oh god my favorite uncle died today the only one in a family large and loud and proud who had the poverty and pain live close enough to keep him sane and one small joke away from tears and one cheap gag away from all the lies the rest of us keep living the rest of us keep living by Or why I thought all day about the way my other uncle found him laying there and never had a chance to win or lose their year-long argument about some moldy cheese and pink flamingos bullshit grown so ripe up round like thorny bushes full of unbloomed roses in their brains and suddenly I'm a continent away a thousand miles, miles, miles now, and I'm crying like a little child Or why I smoke so much these days but feel so god-damned healthy every way and every time I light a match I think of how my friend says pretty death each time he sees a-- each time he sees a cigarette What I'm trying to say is that I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know Why I live in the most beautiful place I've ever seen with a woman who I think might really be a tiger queen and everything she touches blooms and bursts with song and colors here we are now surrounded by the rising concrete castles and cockroaches and no refrigerator and no tv yes I'm bragging now I'm sad but I'm in love of course So why I can't stop thinking of my hometown friend and enemy? I loved you and I also envied you so honestly when you jumped in front of a train last year or fell or just as likely you were pushed there no one knows and fewer care and when we heard the news on April 1st of course we all thought you were pulling off some shitty prank and still I think maybe you were and in this case it was the boldest and the humblest joke you ever told and left us with ourselves to hear the punchline growing cold Oh and all I know for sure is you were an arrogant ass but I loved you much more than I ever hated you and I'll always know it was a grave mistake to not attend your funeral however in my own defense I wanted so badly to believe that you'd show up again like some old manic Tom Sawyer and we could laugh for years about it after we beat you senseless Or why a friend... or why a friend felt God? I don't know I don't know I don't know I don't know Why a friend felt drawn by God knows what today to kindly tell me that I hated Jesus and the USA and all white people but before I had a chance to say you lie or maybe to agree a young man next to me ram rode his knee completely through a thick glass window pane oh my God to protest--his blood!-- the recent schoolroom lunch code and of course we all knew that he thrust his limb through a glass door for something on the other side something deep something wide something on the other side much heavier than a plate of god-damned pasta Or why this past week it's been raining every day and hotter than my coffee and I'm always sweating trying to catch my breath and I don't want to hear any more shit about God and love from you right now or how nice your new batch of soap turned out or why you think the family members of murdered Black men are just trying to get attention and further division and strife and god bless the fucking police and I'm sorry but all god's lives matter and Indians aren't even real Indians anymore they just want to take land from hard-working people and make an entire generation feel guilty for being white but hey I never got it easy my boots are always muddy and god bless my guns and penis and Jesus Muhammud murder lies banks you know life is blah blah tough for all of us ha ha l o l r o f l and these lazy people only make it harder you know what I'm saying? and I have decided I have decided to follow shitty empire speak Jeevus Christus I'm angry that you don't tell me I'm doing such a good job please tell me that I'm doing a good job don't you know I'm doing the best I can? I'm angry that you don't tell me that I'm doing a good job please go away! Oh why my god, my god, I love you god! I really do! and every time I try to tell or hear the simplest story of someone doing something kind I start to cry I start to cry, oh I am tired and sad and wonder how it is that we can smile and speak and laugh so well when all we know we all know that we feel so bad
3.
Mother, Sister (엄마야 누나야 강변 살자) By Kim So-Wol (김소월 시), Korean independence poet under Japanese colonization. "Oh mother and older sister, Let's go and live together beside the river, Where the golden sand sparkles in the grass. Outside our back door, [we can listen to] the leaves' song. Mother, older sister, Let's go and live beside the river." 엄마야 누나야 강변 살자. 뜰에는 반깍이는 금모래 빛. 뒷문 밖에는 갈잎의 노래. 엄마야 누나야 강변 살자.
4.
The bear went over the mountain The bear went over the mountain The bear went over the mountain To see what she could see And all that she could see And all that she could see Was the other side of the mountain The other side of the mountain The other side of the mountain Was all that she could see There's a lot of sadness, There's a lot of sadness, So much sadness all around. And it gets so heavy, Gets too damn heavy, It gets so heavy I think I'm gonna drown. Got a lot of history, We've got a lot of bad history, We've got this history But I need you now. You can say you're sorry, I can say I'm sorry, We can say we're sorry, I don't care. But when you say I love you, When you say I love you, When you say I love you, I like the way it sounds. Well you know I love you too. I said I love you too, Yeah, I love you too-- Don't forget it. There's a lot of shouting, Whole lot of shouting, Why all this shouting When there should be silence? There's too much silence, Whole lot of silence, Why all this silence When there should be shouting? We're all broken, baby, Baby, we're all broken, And the water down below us It's raging and it's terrible It's swiftly running And it is so cold... You got a lot of pain here Got a lot of pain here So much pain here, Why you trying to carry it Alone? The stakes are way too high now They're way too high now Way too high now To stop believing you To stop believing me Or to let you go. So you know I'll be there I said I'll be there Yeah I'll be there When the storm clouds start rolling And the dark winds begin to blow... Such a long and hard road Such a long and hard road Long and hard road And I know you've got to Walk your own-- But who told you You had to walk alone? Cause there's a lot of sadness There's a lot of sadness So much sadness All around And it gets too heavy Gets too damn heavy It gets so heavy To carry around But when you say I love you When you say I love you When you say I love you I like the way it sounds Well you know I love you too I said I love you too Yeah I love you too-- Don't forget it.
5.
Going Across The Mountain/"Little Giant" Traditional American Ballad, originally popularized by Frank Proffitt, who claimed it was written by a family member. The ballad is telling the story of a lone farmer from the South who decides to cross the mountains during the Civil War to join the Union Army, and "to give [Jefferson Davis'] men a little of my rifle ball." The song is sung by the soldier-farmer, it seems, more to steel his own nerves and confidence than it is to calm his lover. We never learn if he returns. "Frank's grandfather, a great admirer of Abe Lincoln, chose to go the hard way--he went 'across the mountain to join the boys in blue'. (Once, separated from his outfit, he wandered into a camp of Confederate soldiers and found himself face to face with his own brother, who had made the other decision. By feigning insanity, he managed to escape and rejoin his own unit, but one can well imagine the anxious moments experienced by the two brothers in the interim.) Frank learned this song, which describes the farewell of a 'Southern Yankee' to his sweetheart, from his father. Frank is not sure, but it seems likely that his father had it, in turn from his father," -Sandy Paton, 1962, Folk-Legacy LP "Frank Proffitt, Reese, N.C." Jo Yong-boon halmoni ran the "Little Giant"/작은거인 food and drink mini-diner for decades across the street from the famous Ahyeon outdoor market in Seoul. Her shop, along with many others on the same street, were mercilessly bulldozed by the local government in response to the complaints of citizens living in the nearby newtown apartments. The newtown parasites got the clean, widened street without independent merchants that they wanted, but they couldn't kill the Little Giant. After spending a few years in a temporary location protected by anti-development activists, Jo Yong-boon halmoni has re-opened her shop, now inside the Ahyeon traditional market. The Little Giant survived the fickle and vindictive greed of the higher classes in the area bent on development and destruction of everything old in the region, thanks to Jo halmoni's resistance and the widespread support for her from locals and activists. Many of her close friends and neighbor merchants have not been so fortunate.
6.
Traditional American Spiritual. This version is most heavily inspired by Bernice Johnson Reagon's live rendition at Joe's Pub in New York City, on January 20th, 2013, but it is also shaped by Sacred Harp and Old Regular Baptist influence. I've been climbing high mountains trying to get home. I've been wading deep waters trying to get home. I've been burying my loved ones trying to get home. I've been climbing high mountains trying to get home.
7.
Selections from "45 Voices Overheard in an American Graveyard during the first 100 Days of a new regime", by S. P. Martin.
8.
Tune: 900 Miles (Traditional American Train/Work song) Out in famous New York City Famous for its lack of pity That's where a man named Eric Garner used to live He was big and Black and proud Had friends and family all around And despite so many hassles with police Garner's neighbors knew him as a man of peace Eric Garner was in town So the cops all gathered round They said he tried to sell some untaxed cigarettes Garner said it wasn't true But he broke a bigger rule In a land where if you're Black then you're a threat The cops showed everyone Black Lives don't matter yet Well he told the cops I'm tired, I'm so tired of being harassed It was a brave thing for a poor Black man to say And before he died he cried I can't breathe eleven times Pantaleo grabbed his neck and pulled him down And the other cops helped smash his face into the ground After Garner stopped resisting, well the cops just stood there watching They picked his pockets and they rolled him on his side Several minutes slowly passed EMTs they came at last No CPR, they said he still was breathing then An hour later Garner'd never breathe again And the medical report said it was a homicide Said they killed him when they wouldn't let him breathe but there was no murder charge seems it was never in the cards Despite the testimonies and the video the judge and jury said the cops were free to go Yeah Eric Garner couldn't breathe with a system round his neck That kills a Black man just for holding cigarettes Home of the brave, land of the free Well, what's this mean for you and me? It's all a sham if Black folks' lives don't matter yet If you're not white or rich then you don't matter yet Some kind of Freedom if the people here can't breathe
9.
Ferryboat and Passenger (나룻배와 행인) Lyrics from Buddhist Korean Independence activist Manhae's famous poem of the same name in his book of poetry, The Lover's Silence. "I am the boat that carried you across the river... You pressed your dirty feet against my sides, while I kept you safe and dry. When you reached the other side and began to walk away, you did not look back. Every day, every day, I am still here waiting for you to return..." *For the Noryangjin Traditional Fish Market Merchants, who continue to struggle for their lives against the lies, corruption and brutal violence of joint public and private pro-development forces in the heart of Seoul. ************************************ "The Noryangjin overpass is now a cliff’s edge to nowhere, a lookout to a massive new construction site that may result in an expanded modern entertainment center. Solidarity gatherings continue under COVID-19 social distancing regulations. During continued negotiations with Seoul City and the local district office, the market tents have been removed and the square lays quiet. Local officials regularly inspect for any “illegal” demonstrations and gatherings. Yet the merchants, their tents and their equipment are still there on the overpass. They prepare and serve home-cooked meals, generously sharing with activists on a weekly basis. During the night watch, the elderly merchants can hardly sleep as the subway and commuter trains pass underneath them and construction continues in the dark hours. Sooner or later, the tents are likely to be forcibly evicted. Until that day, the original Noryangjin Fish Market merchants and their diverse supporters will remain at Noryangjin Station exits 1 and 2. "What do decolonization and liberation mean for Noryangjin Fish Market and other redevelopment struggles? As a longtime physical and forever spiritual resident of the city of Gwangju, I see the May spirit reflected in the tenacity of the several dozen aunties and grandmothers of the overpass. I also see the spirit of Peace Market garment worker Jeon Tae-il who self-immolated in martyrdom on November 13, 1970. This year is the 50th anniversary of this ‘single spark’ that set off the militancy of Korea’s labor movement. When Jeon and the Gwangju freedom fighters sacrificed their lives, perhaps their minds were already purified and liberated from the colonization of industrial capitalism and the myth of progress under redevelopment. Decades later, in a whole new era, the Noryangjin merchants show that sadly and inevitably, the struggle for a better world is not yet over. They continue their fight for their right to livelihood outside of the new market and for recognition of their place in Korea’s modern history. Until that day comes." -Ana Traynin, October 2020 (from "Redevelopment Resistance in the heart of Seoul" in Rock! Paper! Scissors! online journal Vol 2, No 3) X. Smoke Break During a Practice Air Raid Siren in Seoul The unforgotten "forever war" in Korea has now continued for 70 years. "I was wading in the river. I was with others. It was before the break of dawn. And as the sun started to rise, a light started to flow down the river. And that's when that light morphed into families embracing each other. It was so beautiful and profound. But I just needed to see where the source of the light was coming from. So I kept going up the river. And that's when I came to a circle of women. And they were stirring something that they then poured into little vessels, which then became the light that flowed down the river. And that's when I woke up and I said, I know who will end the war. It will be women that end this war." -Christine Ahn (from "It will be women that end this war" in Rock! Paper! Scissors! online journal Vol 2, No 3)
10.
Grown Up Soul (These Dark Valleys) Hui Tzu said to Chuang: I have a big tree, The kind they call a “stinktree.” The trunk is so distorted, So full of knots, No one can get a straight plank Out of it. The branches are so crooked You cannot cut them up In any way that makes sense. There it stands beside the road. No carpenter will even look at it. Such is your teaching– big and useless. Chuang Tzu replied: Have you ever watched the wildcat Crouching, watching his prey– This way it leaps, and that way, Hight and low, and at last Lands in the trap. But have you seen the yak? Great as a thundercloud He stands in his might. Big? Sure. He can’t catch mice! So for your big tree. No use? Then plant it in the wasteland In emptiness. Walk idly around, Rest under the shadow; No axe or bill prepares its end. No one will ever cut it down. Useless? You should worry! -Chuang Tzu, translated by Thomas Merton ****************************************************************** I've been walking these dark valleys trying to find a place called home And everywhere I laid my head I felt so cold and all alone Never had a word to say but i kept talking on and on Never had a verse to sing until I lost it in your song And I've been walking these dark valleys trying to find a place called home And everywhere I laid my head I felt so cold and all alone Looking for a grown-up soul to teach me how to be a child Like the boulder-breaking flowers small and worthless meek and mild The wisest tree in all the land too gnarled for saws or human hands And in her ugliness a wisdom beauty never understands oh I want to understand Been looking for a grown-up soul show me how to be a child Like the boulder-breaking dandelions small and worthless meek and mild wild and joyful like a child And when I reached the mountain top I was amazed at what I found Each side as far as I could see well, there were mountains all around there were mountains all around! Been looking for a grown-up soul to teach me how to be a child Like the boulder-breaking weeds small and worthless meek and mild wild and joyful like a child

about

THROUGH DARK VALLEYS
Or, This Mountain/이산 II


For Hahn Dae-soo and Bill Mallonee, both grown-up souls and musical guides for me in these dark valleys.

And in solidarity with the Noryangjin Traditional Fish Market Merchants and their struggle for survival in Seoul.

In loving memory of Jon Jessup, Jake D, and my Uncle Paul.

"I did not bow down to you. I bowed down to all the suffering in the world."
-Dostoevsky





*************************************************
Thanks to all before us
Yes to what will come
Ocean's raging chorus
Sings Thy will be done
**************************************************

credits

released January 1, 2021

By Seth Mountain/이산
In collaboration with David Fuller, Zoë Yungmi Blank, & Joel Martin

Also featuring Nicholas Von Pless, Lee Nan Young, Sarah Fuller, Maya Fuller, Jonathan Behr, Elizabeth Hadley, Choi Sung-Hee, Gwon Jae-Hyoung, Jung Hyesook/이호, Yamagata Tweakster, No Sooncheon, Students from SMB Mountain School/성문밖학교의 학생들, & Jo Yong-boon halmoni aka the "Little Giant"/작은거인 of Ahyeon

Recorded primarily in Portland, OR (Seth, David), Seoul (Seth, Zoë), and Toledo, WA (Joel), with other contributions by friends in Portland and Seoul as well as Changwon and Jeju Island.

Arranged, produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by David Fuller at Sun Room Studio in Portland, OR.

Artwork by Lee Nan Young.


Thanks to all Menders, past and present, especially those previously mentioned who took part directly in creating this album, as well as those who helped behind the scenes, in particular Blew Kind, Ellen Morey, Jamie Lynn Greene, Lauren Suko, Corey Helms, Forrest VanTuyl, Song Tong-il, Dorybel León Herrera, Katie and Chris, Jenny and Mitch, Sally M, Albert Alexandro, Eunseok, and Ana Traynin.

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Seth Mountain 이산 South Korea

Seth Martin (aka Seth Mountain or 이산), is a roots musician originally from the Pacific Northwest (US).

Continuing in the radical tradition of artists like Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, and Utah Phillips, Martin has been living in Seoul since 2015. He regularly performs with Korean and foreign folk, indie and rock acts.

"Quite possibly the closest thing we have to Woody Guthrie."
--Bill Mallonee
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