Heavy Horses - Jethro Tull (1978)

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"Heavy Horses" is the title track from Jethro Tull's eleventh studio album, Heavy Horses, which was released in the spring of 1978. Remastered FLAC Audio HD Video

As much as I love earlier period Tull, probably my favorite albums were released in the time between Minstrel in '75 through Broadsword in '82. I saw Jethro Tull live touring in support of this album (extremely powerful live performance and man, as the video shows, Ian Anderson was such an incredibly agile and powerful performer!)

"Heavy Horses" just might be my absolute favorite Jethro Tull song....it has everything; beautiful melody, fantastic Martin Barre guitar work including the monster hook, great arrangement, it's very dynamic, just cooks when it rocks....but mainly it's Ian's brilliant and evocative lyrics that make it most special for me. I've heard it it many hundreds of times and it simply never grows old! One of Jethro Tull's greatest achievements.

This is my third video for a track from the Heavy Horses album and one of the songs I've wanted to video since I started this hobby (there is an official video for this track, but it somehow makes the song less epic than it deserves). I chose to use a video performance (from 1982) which didn't include the the long verse from "let me find you a filly"...so I had to try and match from similar earlier verse. I hope you enjoy the effort...and thanks for watching! Please give it a like and/or comment....it helps! Thanks!

Huge thanks to everyone who's art made this new art possible, especially:

Video footage from:
Jethro Tull: Jack in the Green - Live in Germany 1970-93
http://www.amazon.com/Jethro-Tull-Green-Germany-1970-93/dp/B0017UAYG2
(This is my one of my favorite Jethro Tull DVDs...if you're a fan and haven't seen it....the best $10 you'll spend.....Amazon link above).

Tour Scotland
(Beautiful clips of horses plowing)
https://www.youtube.com/user/tourscotland

Rob Monk Photography
(Perfect photo of Ian Anderson at end of video (used as a mask with clouds)
http://robmonkphotography.com/

[Lyrics]
Iron-clad, feather-feet pounding the dust
On Octobers day, towards evening
Sweat embossed veins standing proud to the plough
Salt on a deep chest, seasoning

Last of the line at an honest days toil
Turning the deep sod under
Flint at the fetlock, chasing the bone
Flies at the nostrils plunder

The Suffolk, the Clydesdale, the Percheron vie
With the shire on his feathers, floating
Hauling soft timber into the dusk
To bed on a warm straw coating

Heavy horses move the land under me
Behind the plough gliding, slipping and sliding free
And now youre down to the few and theres no work to do
The tractors on its way

Let me find you a filly for your proud stallion seeds
To keep the old line going
And well stand you abreast at the back of the woods
Behind the young trees growing

To hide you from eyes that mock at your girth
Youre eighteen hands at the shoulder
And one day when the oil barons have all dripped dry
And the nights are seen to draw colder

Theyll beg for your strength, your gentle power
Your noble grace and your bearing
And youll strain once again to the sound of the gulls
In the wake of the deep plough, sharing

Heavy horses move the land under me
Behind the plough gliding, slipping and sliding free
And now youre down to the few and theres no work to do
The tractors on its way

Standing like tanks on the brow of the hill
Up into the cold wind facing
In stiff battle harness, chained to the world
Against the low sun racing

Bring me a wheel of oaken woods
A rein of polished leather
A heavy horse and a tumbling sky
Brewing heavy weather

Bring a song for the evening
Clean brass to flash the dawn
Across these acres glistening
Like dew on a carpet lawn

In these dark towns, folk lie sleeping
As the heavy horses thunder by
So wake the dying city
With the living horsemans cry

At once the old hands quicken
Bring pick and wisp and curry comb
Thrill to the sound of all the
Heavy horses coming home

Iron-clad, feather-feet pounding the dust
On Octobers day, towards evening
Sweat embossed veins standing proud to the plough
Salt on a deep chest, seasoning

Bring me a wheel of oaken woods
A rein of polished leather
A heavy horse and the tumbling sky
Brewing heavy weather

Heavy horses move the land under me
Behind the plough gliding, slipping and sliding free
And now youre down to the few and theres no work to do
The tractors on its way

Oh, heavy horses move the land under me
Behind the plough gliding, slipping and sliding free
And now youre down to the few and theres no work to do
The tractors on its way

Oh, heavy horses move the land under me
Behind the plough gliding, slipping and sliding free
And now youre down to the few and theres no work to do
The tractors on its way

Now heavy horses move the land under me
Behind the plough gliding, slipping and sliding free