Eli, The Barrow Boy – #52 (!!)
Eli, the barrow boy of the old town
Sells coal and marigolds and he cries out
All down the day
Below the tamaracks he is crying
“Corn cobs and candlewax for the buying!”
All down the day
“Would I could afford to buy my love a fine robe
Made of gold and silk Arabian thread
But she is dead and gone and lying in a pine grove
And I must push my barrow all the day
And I must push my barrow all the day”
Eli, the barrow boy, when they found him
Dressed all in corduroy, he had drowned in
The river down the way
They laid his body down in a church yard
But still when the moon is out
With his pushcart he calls down the day
“Would I could afford to buy my love a fine gown
Made of gold and silk Arabian thread
But I am dead and gone and lying in a church ground
But still I push my barrow all the day
Still I push my barrow all the day”
This piece is based on lyrics of the song Eli, The Barrow Boy, by The Decemberists. If you’ve never heard of The Decemberists, I highly recommend giving them a try. They hail from Portland, Oregon.
This piece is kind of cobbled together from a lot of different sources. The main one is some woodcut engravings I found online here – the book they are from is called Saint Epiphanius on the Physiologus, from 1588.
And with that…I have completed my goal for the year! Fifty-two pieces, which comes out to one a week. I am actually kind of shocked that I completed my goal. But I’ve had a lot of fun along the way, and really have enjoyed getting back into my art. I hope you have enjoyed the pieces and the blog.
I intend to repeat this goal for 2011 – 52 pieces in 52 weeks, so stay tuned…more to come next week/year!
Photo credits:
Barrow – mr wolke
Church – Sam Segar
Texture – Linnell Esler
Texture – Bert van ‘t Hul