how many worlds - faithful and ribot

a few years back, brian eno released an album featuring his vocal and instrumental work entitled "another day on earth". among the many beautiful works on the disc was one entitled "how many worlds".

my reading of the lyrics compels me to consider the graceful fragility of our whole earth and then also the microcosm of my own little world(s). there's an aspect of accountability about how conscious i am of the powerful events that take place each day at both ends of the scale and then also my place in the long now of human history.

how many worlds

"thinking of a world and the light of the sun
and all the many lives that were ever begun,
ever begun.

our little world turning in the blue
as each day goes there's another one new,
another one new.

how many people will we feed today,
how many lips will we kiss today,
if we wake up?

how many worlds will we ever see,
and how people can we ever be,
if we wake up?

thinking of a world in the light of the sun
and all the many lives that were ever begun,
ever begun."
brian eno (2005)

marianne faithful has a new disc appearing shortly, and "how many worlds" will appear on that disc. i have never been a "fan" of marianne's work but her voice carries strength and history and fragility all wrapped into one and so in small doses i find her work compelling. marc ribot accompanies her here and his guitar work - aided by an e-bow - lends even more emotional colour to her presence within the words . . .

here are marianne faithful and marc ribot with a room full of string players, rendering this lovely song . . .



here is brian's original version accompanied by an extraordinary video shot near kilworth, ontario . . .