house of stone

Mandolin Orange - House Of Stone from Live & Breathing on Vimeo.

On “House of Stone,” Frantz’s fiddle and Marlin’s guitar are paired with the disjointed image of a church auction. The melody is peaceful, but Marlin’s lyrics speak of struggle and the devil’s temptations. It’s a fire-and-brimstone lullaby.

“Growing up in the South, hymns were a common part of my childhood,” says Marlin. “My mother played piano for the church, and so did her mother before that. Many of those old tunes refer to a mansion of gold that awaits all believers in heaven. ‘House of Stone’ is meant to be some kind of modern hymn that uses some of the same terminology to convey a contrary idea. To me, a mansion of gold seems too much like an infomercial for the afterlife.”  

(Chris Parton, http://www.cmtedge.com/2013/05/07/mandolin-orange-trade-a-mansion-for-house-of-stone/)

It's a churchyard auction, a sight to see,


where the eyes are big, and the odds are lean.

The pockets all are empty, the chances all are gone, 


but there's a free bet yet on a house of stone, 


a house of stone. 



Now some may sing sounds of hallelujah 


and dream about a mansion of gold, 


but to each be true and to each be known. 


My dreams all are resting on a house of stone, 


a house of stone.