Rosie’s Reply

by Lisa Fitzgibbon and Adam Horovitz

Inspired by the landscape, legends and characters made famous in Laurie Lee’s book Cider with Rosie

Who was Rosie Burdock?

“The day Rosie Burdock decided to take me in hand was a motionless day of summer, creamy, hazy, and amber-coloured, with the beech trees standing in heavy sunlight as though clogged with wild wet honey.”

-Laurie Lee, ‘Cider with Rosie’

What was Rosie’s perception of this famous encounter under that hay cart?
How did she feel about being the namesake of one of the most famous books ever written?
Although this iconic character is only mentioned briefly in the book, she will be remembered forever, as the girl who tempted the young Laurie Lee to drink ‘golden fire’ under the hay cart that summer… this is our attempt to tell Rosie’s side of the story.

Rosie’s Reply

Vlog 06 - Rosie’s Reply

Lyrics

Stone jar of cider under the hay,
Sun through the beech trees lighting the day
With promises greener than innocent lust
Covered in buttercup dust

You’ve told your story, now it’s my turn
To untangle the legends and let people learn
That I’m Rosie Burdock, my life’s my own
And my truth needs to be told

Poems and mysteries only the start of it.
Come with me Laurie Lee back to the heart of it

I’m the only Rosie the valley allows,
Spun like the petals, woven like beech leaves underneath the boughs
One hundred years of history, three lifetimes of love
As the earth ran below me the sky sang above

Were it not me, it might have been Bet
Or one of the others who’s not been kissed yet
You may deny it but I saw your desire
For the secrets of golden fire.

Down in the valley’s bed dreaming of leaving home
You’ll be back Laurie Lee wherever you roam

I’m the only Rosie the valley allows,
Spun like the petals, woven like beech leaves underneath the boughs
I’m the only Rosie this valley allows
With hair curled like elderflower, these red tangles kissing my brow
One hundred years of history, two lifetimes’ desire
I’m part of this valley, the rose in the briar

So many women claim to be me
But I am the Rosie who danced through the trees
leading you places you wanted to be
Kissed you as you kissed me

You spin the legends, I weave the truth of us.
Landscapes that powered our dreams and our youthful lust

I’m the only Rosie the valley allows,
Spun like the petals, woven like beech leaves underneath the boughs
One hundred years of history, three lifetimes of love
As the earth ran below me the sky sang above

I’m the only Rosie this valley allows
With hair curled like elderflower, these red tangles kissing my brow
One hundred years of history, two lifetimes’ desire
I’m part of this valley, the rose in the briar

I’m the only Rosie this valley requires
Burned on the skyline and seared in its memory by intimate fires
One hundred years of history, one moment of lust
But you’ve kept our story from turning to dust

The stories continue, evolve and return
Down in the valley, we’ve legends to burn
I’m Rosie Burdock, I’m part of the fold
My truth has now been told

Promises blossom like pollen on air
They swarm like the insects massing for prayer
Like stone jars of cider under the hay
My truth will never be swayed

copyright Lisa Fitzgibbon & Adam Horvitz 2022

Listen up.

Here is where you can listen to my demo of Rosie’s Reply.

These demo’s were written and recorded in my home studio in Stroud & are a work-in-progress presentation, designed to explore the journey of the writing & recording process as the project progresses.

We plan to record and produce these songs to a higher specification in the future, ready for commercial release, and you can track the evolution of these songs here on the website.