Week 304 // The Seed

by Mount Everest

supported by

	/

Streaming + Download

Includes high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more. Paying supporters also get unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app.

Purchasable with gift card

name your price

about

I spent much of the weekend exploring giant sequoia groves with my family. Giant sequoias are the largest living organisms on Earth. Some have been alive for thousands of years. Their scale, by comparison to more common trees, is difficult to comprehend or convey. I took many photographs, but nothing true about these trees can be communicated by a picture. The image accompanying this post is the view from inside the naturally hollowed-out log of a specimen large enough that I could stand fully upright within its tunnel. We saw trees that had footprints 25 feet in diameter. Giant, it turns out, can be a modest term when applied to something large enough.

The power of the groves we visited surpasses that of the most spectacular cathedrals. Nature's spirit is older than that summoned by human beings. We know nothing standing next to these silent behemoths which defy not only our notions of scale, but of time and memory as well. When european descendants came upon these trees, they cut up a lot of them as amusements and curiosities. Fortunately, later generations were inspired by the likes of John Muir to cultivate a more reverent awe toward the sequoias. Like a giant sequoia taking root and reaching for the light, empathy toward living things apparently takes a very long time to grow within us humans.

lyrics

The secret of the forest:
A moment lasts a while
And if you reach the end of it
You'll never know

And memory and time
Are silent thoughts
And they take a while
And the quiet part of me
Wants to hang around

The secret of all humans:
A heartbeat lasts a while
And if you reach another one
You've earned it

And empathy and love
Are giant thoughts
And they take a while
And the seed is pushing up
Into the light

credits

released September 12, 2016

license

some rights reserved

about

Mount Everest Maine

I’ve been making up a new song every week since 2010.
Follow me on Instagram [mounteverestmusic] and explore more than 600 songs here.

contact / help

Contact Mount Everest

Streaming and
Download help

Report this track or account

If you like Mount Everest, you may also like:

Wooden Cave
by Thin Lear

Thin Lear's sophisticated rock music is tempered with soaring chamber pop accents and an undeniable gift for melody. Bandcamp New & Notable Jul 30, 2020
go to album
Lit Way Down
by Mt Went

Beautiful and mysterious folk-adjacent songs from this UK outfit that wreathe delicate acoustic guitar in mist-like synths. Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 10, 2021
go to album
Pearls to Swine
by Adam Torres

featured on Bandcamp Radio Aug 2, 2016
go to album
The Convincer (20th Anniversary Edition)
by Nick Lowe

Released in 2001, “The Convincer” is a gentle gem in the Nick Lowe catalog; an anniversary edition provides opportunity for rediscovery. Bandcamp New & Notable Sep 20, 2021
go to album
Chaparral
by Dillbilly

The Ohio songwriter navigates gender, queerness, class, and privilege through a powerful mix of country rock, folk ballads, and bluegrass. Bandcamp New & Notable Jul 14, 2021
go to album
Into the Light
by Franklin Gothic

Rich and rococo indie pop songs define this LP from Franklin Gothic, a light psychedelic sheen washing over all of it. Bandcamp New & Notable Aug 20, 2022
go to album
Pete Yorn Sings The Classics
by Pete Yorn

On his new LP, Pete Yorn offers his take on classic songs by The Pixies, Roxy Music, The Beach Boys, & more. Bandcamp New & Notable Jan 17, 2021
go to album