Whistle Down The Wind

One of our regular participants, Travis of Trav's Thoughts picked this week's Take This Tune song.  Whistle Down the Wind is a musical based on the 1961 film Whistle Down the Wind with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Jim Steinman.  This is one of Webbers few unsuccessful musicals despite the wonderful music.  The Broadway opening was cancelled after poor reviews of the out of town preview.  A more successful West End production did run and a concept album was issued that achieved several hit songs

You can read all about the book, movie, and musical production on the above link.  The show has strong religious conotations as it delves into the nature of faith, belief, unanswered dreams and deception as the town children mistake an injured  wanderer for Jesus in Act One, but who may really be a fugitive.  It ends with whoever he was imprisoned inside a burning barn but still a mystery.

That is one side of the story.  The other is much simpler, a beautiful song about the persistence of hopes, dreams, love and memory.



Whistle Down The Wind
Andrew Lloyd Webber

Whistle down the wind
Let your voices carry
Drown out all the rain
Light a patch of darkness
Treacherous and scary

Howl at the stars
Whisper when you're sleeping
I'll be there to hold you
I'll be there to stop
The chills and all the weeping

Make it clear and strong
So the whole night long
Every signal that you send
Until the very end
I will not abandon you my precious friend

So try to stem the tide
Then you'll raise a banner
Send a flare up in the sky
Try to burn a torch
And try to build a bonfire

Every signal that you send
Until the very end
I'm there

So whistle down the wind
For I have always been
Right there

Howl at the stars
Whisper when your sleeping
I'll be there to hold you
I'll be there to stop
The chills and all the weeping

Make it clear and strong
So the whole night long
Every signal that you send
Until the very end
I will not abandon you my precious friend

So whistle down the wind
Let your voices carry
Drown out all the rain
Light a patch of darkness
Treacherous and scary

Every signal that you send
Until the very end
I'm there

So whistle down the wind
For I have always been
Right there.