Skadi's Hammer
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"Skadi's Hammer" is a Longest Johns original written by Andy Yates. It holds the distinction of being the first Andy-penned song released by the band. It was released as track 6 on Voyage.
Factoids
In Norse mythology, Skadi is a goddess associated with bowhunting, skiing, mountains, and winter.[1] Traditionally, she is depicted with a bow, rather than a hammer; though a series of Avengers comics from 2011 does feature her with a hammer.[2] According to Andy, the hammer was meant to be a metaphor for winter, and the apparent parallel with Thor's hammer was unintentional.[3]
John Barleycorn is a traditional personification of barley (and by extension, the beer and whiskey made from it). He appears in several interrelated English and Scottish folk songs dating back to the 16th century, which usually detail his mistreatment up to and including murder as a metaphor for the harvesting and brewing processes.[4]
In Greek mythology, Demeter is the goddess of agriculture and the harvest, responsible for making crops grow.[5]
One for the rook...: These two lines quote a version of a planting rhyme, widespread in both the UK and US. It has been associated with various specific crops, often beans or corn, or with sowing more generally. The first creature mentioned varies widely — mouse, blackbird, and cutworm are other common examples — but the crow/grow rhyme is consistent.[6][7]
Lyrics
As performed on Voyage
Lord of the harvest, master of scythe
Open the fields and collect your prize
Woe to you, John Barleycorn
Rest in peace upon the miller's stone
{Chorus}
Oh, the harvest's got sharp teeth and it's dragging me under
Put down the sword, turn the millstone round
Oh, Demeter's embrace holds the sun to the land
Until Skadi brings her hammer down
Reaper man, reaper man is coming to tear
Through your fields, to strike the corn down
Reaper man, reaper man, lay them all to rest
And let the land sleep at winter's behest
{Chorus}
I thought I heard the old man say
John Barleycorn will soon lie in his grave
One for the rook, one for the crow
One will wither and one will grow
{Chorus}
Recordings
Stream/Purchase
YouTube Videos
Gig Videos
Full Band Streams
- 20,000 Streams Under the Sea (13 Feb 2024)
- Streamies (26 Jun 2024)
- Sing Sing Stream Stream (19 Mar 2025)
- Microsoft Flight Streamulator (10 Sep 2025)
- Stream Alone (17 Dec 2025)
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ska%C3%B0i
- ↑ https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Hammer_of_Skadi
- ↑ https://youtu.be/Jg-ovDyrbNE?t=5024
- ↑ Wood, Peter. "John Barleycorn: the evolution of a folk-song family." Folk Music Journal, vol. 8, no. 4, annual 2004, pp. 438+. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A154806332/AONE?u=googlescholar&sid=googleScholar&xid=da9f7f5c. Accessed 16 Jan. 2024.
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demeter
- ↑ "ONE for the mouse, one for the crow, one to rot, one to grow." Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs. Ed. Speake, Jennifer. : Oxford University Press, , 2015. Oxford Reference. Date Accessed 22 Feb. 2024 <https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780198734901.001.0001/acref-9780198734901-e-1616>.
- ↑ https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=128924