The Road Goes Ever On And On

[Ren 75]

The song we hear a snippet of in LOTR FOTR, ?The road goes ever on and on?. I?m pretty positive the whole poem is in the book - am I correct? Which leads me to my real question: has anyone here know of or written the whole song?

[Marian Schedenig 8,200]

The Road goes ever on and on

Down from the door where it began

Now far ahead the road has gone

And I must follow if I can.

I'm afraid I haven't memorised the rest...there's a bit where Frodo changes the original "eager feet" to "weary feet" (Bilbo wrote the song).

That song alone represents, for me personally, LOTR. There's something in it that makes all the LOTR emotions come back at once. I was of course delighted to see that it made it into the movie (twice!).

BTW, there's also some book on Tolkien an/or his writings called "The Road Goes Ever On And On".

Marian -

[Ren 75]

thanks marian, now i'm looking for the chordal structure. .. .if it exists in reality or someone here made something up to it; something like a B chord to an A chord to either C# or c# minor. . .but then it might be a different key as i haven't heard it since last night.

[Marian Schedenig 8,200]

Ooh I see. I'm sure there are some musical adaptions of it, but I've never heard of Tolkien writing music himself.

Marian -

POA

[Ren 75]

no no no i know that i'm just wondering if there is a finished song from the movie either by the original composer of the tune or someone here. . i am not wanting to re-invent the wheel so they say, if not i will write it myself.

[Ren 75]

on more careful consideration it's not a c# its e major.

[Marian Schedenig 8,200]

Ooh...NOW I see. Sorry, can't help you there.

Marian - who knows Shore didn't score Gandalf's performance of the song until the EE.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Yes. Gandalf sang it for the theatrical cut, and Shore wrote in some accompanying score for the EE.

As for the poem, Marian already put down the original. It does however run a little bit longer. From the final chapter of The Hobbit:

Roads go ever on and on,

Over rock and under tree,

By caves where never sun has shone,

By streams that never find the sea;

Over snow by winter sown,

And through the merry flowers of June,

Over grass and over stone,

And under mountains in the moon.

Roads go ever on and on

Under cloud and under star,

Yet feet that wandering have gone

Turn at last to home afar.

Eyes that fire and sword have seen

And horror in the halls of stone

Look at last on meadows green

And trees and hills they long have known.

The next time the poem appears in FotR, Bilbo has changed some of the words as he walks away from Bag End.

The Road goes ever on and on

Down from the door where it began.

Now far ahead the Road has gone,

And I must follow, if I can,

Pursuing it with eager feet,

Until it joins some larger way

Where many paths and errands meet.

And whither then? I cannot say.

Frodo later recites the poem with these exact words. Pippin notes it sounds "like a bit of old Bilbo's rhyming," to which Frodo replies: "I don't know. It came to me then, as if I was making it up; but I may have heard it long ago."

- Marc

[Ren 75]

k thanks for that info marc...now i'm wondering a bit about some other words. . .. . .

The Road goes ever on and on

Out from the door where it began.

Now far ahead the Road has gone,

Let others follow it who can!

Let them a journey new begin,

But I at last with weary feet

Will turn towards the lighted inn,

My evening-rest and sleep to meet.

Still round the corner there may wait

A new road or a secret gate;

And though I oft have passed them by,

A day will come at last when I

Shall take the hidden paths that run

West of the Moon, East of the Sun.

the latter part is in the song Use Well the Days - but i don't know if it is in the book or somewhere else....i'm trying to arrange the song for my school and was thinking of a partner song with the two tunes but i don't think it will work.....i have an idea in my head but i just need to use the right words.

[Marian Schedenig 8,200]

IIRC, that version of the song is used near the end of the book.

As for the poem, Marian already put down the original. It does however run a little bit longer. From the final chapter of The Hobbit

Whoa, I forgot it already appears in The Hobbit!

Pursuing it with eager feet,

Or "weary feet", when Frodo recites it.

Marian -

Brassed Off (Various & Trevor Jones)

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Whoa, I forgot it already appears in The Hobbit

Then you must read it again, NOW!

[Ren 75]

what about the use well the days stuff?

[Marian Schedenig 8,200]

Then you must read it again, NOW!

First YOU read the annotated edition. Then we'll talk.

Marian - reading Gödel Escher Bach.

[Ren 75]

k, back on topic - i am thinking that the melody will work (a tad adapted) from use well the days - but where did the rest of the text come from in that song?

and the "whole" poem of Tolkien is just a bit frustrating because the stanzas in the last verse are 2 lines shorter than the rest. . . grrrrrrrrrrrrr

[Marian Schedenig 8,200]

k, back on topic - i am thinking that the melody will work (a tad adapted) from use well the days - but where did the rest of the text come from in that song?

To be honest, I've only listened to it once... could you post the lyrics?

and the "whole" poem of Tolkien is just a bit frustrating because the stanzas in the last verse are 2 lines shorter than the rest. . . grrrrrrrrrrrrr

I'm sure Tolkien did that on purpose.

Marian-

[Ren 75]

i'm sure he did, but musically it is a pain. . .. hold on the words are:

'round the corner there may wait a new road or a secret gate and though i have passed them by a day will come.

I will take the hidden paths that run west of the moon and est of the sun.

I'm glad that you were here with me, here at the end of all things.

Night too shall be beautiful and blessed and it's fear will pass.

I must leave, must cross this sea. The love you gave is all I take with me.

Use well the days.  Use well the days. Turn your face to the green world. Use well the days.

Seven stars an seven tones and one white tree from all the sundered seas.

Use well the days.  Use well the days.  Turn your face to the green world.  Use well these days.

there ya go have at it...i think this is the most beautiful song of the trilogy - too bad it's not on any regular sound track i believe it is only on the DVD of the special soundtrack.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Was that even in the movie? I never heard of it before.

[Marian Schedenig 8,200]

Seems they put that together from various bits in the book. "Seven stars and seven stones and one white tree" is recited by Gandalf when he tells Pippin about the Palantiri. And "The end of all things" is obviously from the Mt. Doom climax.

Marc: No, it's not in the movie. I think it was a first attempt on the end credits song that was discarded...in any case, it's included on the DVD that came with the ROTK SE soundtrack.

Marian - who now feels like reading the book again, but has too many other things to read first.

[Ren 75]

yes it is on the SE ROTK.