I wrote this song around 1977 or 1978 when I was living in Greensboro, NC. The band I was in at the time, Rough Mix, performed it regularly. This version was recorded in 2002, with Katy Adams, an original member of Rough Mix, singing the harmony. That's Mike Hamer, from Greenville, NC, on hammered dulcimer.

Lyrics

Lady Magdalene

There’s a lady in white and she’s dancing in bright
Waves of light and color and the sound of the band
Like a wind from the night sea caresses her skin
And I hope that she sees me and I hope
She keeps dancing that way
            Chorus
            Come Lady Magdalene in Shady Grove salve all our wounds
            No longer children we wait for our lives to unfurl
            Come Lady Magdalene in Shady Grove salve all our wounds
There’s a fish moon in the sky and it’s waving goodbye
To our high companions who stare at the fire
And the air of October is a wine that we share
As the lady is leaving to whom lately
We lost all our hearts
            Chorus
There’s a song in the wind and the trees as they bend
Seem to lend a harmony to that lonesome tune
And too soon comes the night time, and too soon, too soon,
Our faces are fading into darkness
And distance and dream
            Chorus