The Raven's Curse

The Story:

The Raven’s Curse is not a personal memory so much as a vision shaped by observation, thought, and recurring dreams.  In Alaska, the Raven holds a central place in Indigenous myth.  Among the Tlingit, Haida, and Athabascan peoples it does so as a creator, trickster, and teacher.  He brought light into the world, stole fire, shaped the land, and showed humans how to survive.  Sometimes through mischief, sometimes through sacrifice.  Always with consequence.

This song imagines the Raven after the gift has been taken for granted.  A forgotten God watching from a distance as people move faster, speak louder, and remember less.  It is about the quiet cost of forgetting.  Of losing touch with origin, land, and story in exchange for comfort and distraction.  The Raven still circles above, still witnesses what unfolds below, but the world no longer looks or listens.  His curse is not vengeance.  It is remembrance without being remembered.

The Lyrics:

The Raven flew from skies above,

Brought the sun and stars with love.

Gave us warmth and shining light,

Dreams to chase in starry night.

 

The people cheered his name so bright,

But soon forgot his gift of light.

 

Now he calls but no one hears,

Pleading through the lonely years.

All he does is watch them shine,

Basking in his lost design.

 

Once so close now far apart,

Deaf to cries from his torn heart.

Yelling words that fade in air,

No one left who seems to care.

 

The people cheered his name so bright,

But soon forgot his gift of light.

 

Now he calls but no one hears,

Pleading through the lonely years.

All he does is watch them shine,

Basking in his lost design.